KindaSortaMaybe
by sincerelysabrina
Summary: She kinda-sorta-maybe liked him. He kinda-sorta-maybe liked her. He was a flirt, she was sarcastic. They were both too stubborn for their own good, and neither wanted to be the first to give in. But giving in might be the only thing they can do...
1. Of That River in Egypt and Makeovers

Chapter 1: Of _That River in Egypt_ and Makeovers

* * *

><p>"Just admit it, Kim! You love me!" cried Jack dramatically.<p>

She turned around, an I-don't-think-so smirk on her face. "First, no. Second, no. Third, no!" And promptly walked away.

"Kim, wait!" He started to run after her. "Don't deny it!"

"No, Jack!"

* * *

><p>"Someone's feeling flirty today," commented Milton, complete with imaginary-hair-flicking and nail-checking. Actually, he really was checking his nails.<p>

"Why are you checking your nails?" asked Eddie, looking kind of creeped out.

"Oh, I want to make sure my forty-dollar-manicure doesn't get chipped," explained Milton.

Eddie paused, before turning to Jack. "So, I hear you're feeling flirty today?"

Jack shook his head in amusement, before replying, "Nah, I'm just trying to get Kim to admit that she likes me."

"For the last time, Jack, I do not like you!" exclaimed Kim, setting her lunch down next to his.

"You know, that river in Egypt is very easy to fall into," said Jerry.

"That river is called the Nile. And I am not in denial!" Kim protested hotly.

"Whatever. But hey, you're sitting next to him!" Jerry pointed out excitedly.

Kim raised an eyebrow. "I had a choice of seats: Milton and his creepy manicure, you and your weird personality, Eddie and his life problems, or Jack, who's probably the most normal person out of all of you. I think I made the right decision."

"Hey! That manicure was form the time our dojo almost got knocked down! It's a precious memory!" protested Milton.

Jerry looked insulted. "I do not have a weird personality! Ooh, stickers!"

Eddie looked affronted. "I don't have life problems! They're just problems, that's all! Not life problems, just problems!"

Jack looked confused. "Wait, so I'm the most normal, but that still doesn't make me normal?"

Kim looked at him pityingly. "Jack, your signature move is the 'call me' gesture. You are not normal."

"Aw, c'mon, girl's love it! Here, watch this." Jack did the "call me" gesture to a passing freshman. The girl giggled and blushed, whispering excitedly to her friends.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Okay, for some reason girls here seem to like it, but it's still not normal!"

"You're not exactly normal, either." Eddie pointed out.

Kim scoffed. "You're kidding, right? I'm more normal than all of you combined!"

"Nuh-uh. You have a creepy obsession with not being a 'Southern Belle,'" said Jerry, being unusually perceptive. I mean, the kid walked into a pole. Like, WTF?

"It's not creepy! Any normal person would not like to prejudiced against!"

"What kind of normal person knows the word 'prejudice?'" asked Eddie, looking proud of himself for knowing how to pronounce the word.

"Yeah, and how about that obsession with shopping?" added Jack.

"First of all, the word 'prejudice' was on last month's homework. Second, all girls love to shop!" exclaimed Kim. She shook her head. "You just aren't used to being around girls."

"Ahem, Kim? I feel insulted right now," said Jack.

"Me, too," added Jerry.

Kim put her hands on her hips. "Okay, not Jack. But Jerry? Girls remember you because you trip over your own feet talking to them. And Milton and Eddie are pretty much lost causes."

"We are not!"

She sighed, picking up her lunch. "I'm going to go sit with my other friends. You guys are driving me crazy."

"Only if it's in a good way!" Jack called out behind her.

Oh, for the love of God.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kim," greeted Kelsi.<strong> (1)<strong>

"Hi, Kim!" greeted Amanda.

"Kim, we've missed you!" exclaimed Rachel.

"Kim, where have you been? I had to sit with these weirdos all alone!" pouted Cora.

"You had me," Thomas pointed out.

Cora made a face. "I don't like you.

"Honey, you love me!"

"No! You stole my ice cream!"

"... want me to kiss it better?"

"Nooooo!"

"Guys, you're being stupid," commented Andrew.

"No, you're being stupid! Dude, how could you turn Erica Thompson down? Stuuuupid," said Drew.

"I think you're both stupid." Kim laughed; typical Wini comment.

"Drew Shawn!" Fawn whacked him over the head with her bag. "Keep your eyes on the prize- that's me, BTW."

Kim laughed once more, and sat down. This was her bunch of misfits- up until now, she'd been so busy with the Wasabi Warriors (and their stupid- but funny- antics) that she hadn't been able to see them until now. Actually, maybe...

"Guys, how would you like to meet my new friends, the Wasabi Warriors?" she asked. There was a general murmur of assent, and so, the nine of them went over to sit with Jack, Jerry, Milton, and Eddie.

* * *

><p>"... No, you listen to me, Tara! You dump him this instant! He's nothing but a lying, cheating, monkey!" Milton exclaimed into his phone.<p>

"Guys, which one do you think is better? Royal Pine or Black Ice?" asked Eddie, gesturing between two different air fresheners.

"Jack, c'mon, let's leave these two losers alone," scoffed Jerry, tripping over his feet. He bounced up a minute later, and upon seeing the ten people headed his way (plus a couple of cute girls), said, "Actually, you know what? Let's stay!"

"Hello, Kelsi," he said suavely- and then tripped over his feet. Again.

"Hi, Jerry," she said dismissively, then turned to Jack. "Hi, Jack." She batted her eyelashes. Kim twitched.

Meanwhile, Eddie was talking to Amanda about the pros and cons of Royal Pine air freshener, the blond-haired girl nodding every once in a while, her face taking on a glazed expression. And Milton? Well...

"Oh. My. God!" exclaimed Rachel. "You need a makeover, right away!"

"Um, okay..." Milton trailed off. "What's wrong with the clothes I'm wearing right now?"

"What's wrong with the clothes you're wearing right now? Don't even get me started! You and me are going shopping this afternoon," declared a horrified Rachel. Kim laughed quietly to herself. Milton and Rachel shopping? Now there's a sight to behold.

"Sorry, Rachel, but I have karate this afternoon," explained Milton.

"I don't care if we have to wait until midnight, you are a walking fashion disaster, and I will not stand for it!"

Well. This was going to be fun.

* * *

><p>"Guys, I heard what Jack and Kim did in Bobby Wasabi's mansion," said Rudy seriously.<p>

"Um. We broke in?" said Jack hesitantly.

"Well, yeah, but not that. I heard that you and Kim did that two-person fighting thing. And I was thinking-"

"Always a dangerous occurrence," muttered Milton quietly.

"_And I was thinking_," said Rudy pointedly, "that we should try it in class!" His face was lit up, like he had thought of the greatest idea in the world. The rest of his class... not so much.

"Uh, Rudy, we really didn't know what we were doing," said Jack.

Kim hurried to second that. "Yeah, he just grabbed me and started swinging me around. I just kicked people."

Jack shrugged. "Sorry, Kimmy. You were in the way, so I grabbed you."

"I was in the way? I could have taken care of those ninjas all by myself! And don't call me Kimmy!"

"Whatever, Princess."

"Guys, not now! There are people watching," Jerry stage-whispered, jerking his head none-too-subtly towards Kelsi.

"Hey, why don't you tell them to come in?" suggested Eddie.

"I'm okay with it if you are." Rudy shrugged.

"Guys, come in!" said Jack, opening the doors.

"Whoa, Kim, I never knew you took karate!" exclaimed Wini.

"Kim scares me," Drew stage-whispered to Thomas, who nodded vigorously.

"Good!" laughed Kim.

"Okay guys, let's try tow-person fighting! Jack and Kim, since you're already doing so well, you can demonstrate," said Rudy.

"But we don't know how to!" protested both teens.

"Sure you do! Here, Eddie, Milton, Jerry, Marge, and I will come at you. Ready?"

"No," muttered both.

"GO!" And all of a sudden there were five people coming at them. Jack and Kim didn't think, they just acted. Jack grabbed Kim and started to swing her back and forth, like a pendulum. She braced her self against him, arms wrapped around his neck tightly. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she started to attack. Kick, swing, kick, duck, kick, swing, flip, kick!

It was over in a few minutes, with Jerry, Milton, Eddie, and Marge lying down on the ground. Rudy, of course, landed on his feet and looked unharmed.

"Great job, you guys!" he said.

"But we still don't know what we're doing!" exclaimed the two teens.

"Oh. Yeah, I knew that. It's just, well, Bobby told me how cute you looked together, and I wanted to see for myself. You really are cute! I just want to pinch your cheeks!"

"Please, don't, Rudy," said Jack, backing up slowly and looking creeped out. Kim had the same expression on her face.

"Anyway, Eddie, you go with Marge, Milton, you go with Jerry. What you have to practice today is getting used to relying on another person. You have to be able to sync to the other person's movements," explained Rudy.

Cora had a thoughtful look on her face. "Kinda like synchronized skating?"

"Yes! Like synchronized skating. How did you...?"

"Oh, I figure skate," she explained. "Hey, could I join this class? Daddy says I need to take self defense or something."

"Yes!" Rudy yelled. "In your face, Dojo #431!"

As one, Jack, Kim, Jerry, Milton, and Eddie turned and said, "He's a little weird."

"Well, I guess I better join, too," sighed Thomas. "Gotta make sure Pinky here doesn't break a nail."

"HEY!"

Fawn sighed. "My dad told me the same thing. I'll join."

"Her dad told me to protect Little Miss Priss here, and he scares me, so here I am," said Drew.

"Okay then! Pair up, and try to get in sync. I will be saving a toilet's life. Good day." And with that, Rudy walked out.

* * *

><p>"Great job, you guys!" exclaimed Rudy that afternoon.<p>

"Why is he wearing scrubs?" Rachel whispered to Amanda. The quiet girl just shrugged.

Eddie, overhearing them, explained, "He was just unclogging his toilet. Rudy's a little (read: extremely) weird."

"Just let us get changed; we'll meet you outside," said Jack, heading for the locker room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Jack? You forget your- oh..." Kim trailed off.<p>

Jack turned around- with his shirt off. "Yeah? Um, Kim?" He waved a hand in front of her face.

She blinked. "Oh, yeah. You forget your sweater. Here," she handed it to him. _Kimberly Anne Crawford!_ she scolded herself. _Girl, you have to stop staring at his body! Oh, but he does have washboard abs.. sigh._

"Hey, did you notice all that sexual tension between Wini and Andrew?" he asked.

Kim giggled. "They've always been like that. She likes him, but they're best friends and she's scared. He's always toting around some girl or another, and he's never noticed what was in front of him the whole entire time."

"... wow. That was deep," Jack joked.

Kim shoved him playfully. "But seriously, we have to set them up. Oh, and Jerry and Kelsi, too. She likes him, but she's not going to show it. She doesn't realize that one day he might not be there. Besides, Jerry needs all the help he can get."

"True dat."

"... please never do that again."

"Fine, fine, everybody's a critic."

* * *

><p>"Hey!" Cora whispered harshly.<p>

"What?" Rachel and Amanda responded. Cora just pointed towards Jack and Kim. He had one arm wrapped around her shoulder, and she was leaning comfortably against his chest.

As one, the girls cooed, "Awww!"

Kim and Jack came close enough to hear their last wistful sigh.

"What's with you guys?" asked an amused Kim.

"You guys are adorable!" squealed Cora.

"Yeah, you're so sweet to each other!" gushed Rachel.

"Oh, we're not together." Jack and Kim spoke in unified embarrassment.

And since the rest of them had no shame, they all said, "Yet."

Jerks.

* * *

><p>"This is scary."<p>

"How does she do that?"

"Is she high or something?"

"I don't know. But that girl really is some thing."

They were at the mall, watching Rachel help Milton with his makeover. It was amusing, but as Thomas, Jack, and Drew had stated, it was also quite terrifying. Even an erstwhile Andrew had admitted Rachel's strange scariness while shopping.

"So, how's this for an outfit? The blue offsets your eyes," explained Rachel.

"And it's good for mixing and matching!" exclaimed Milton.

"Forget about her, why's he doing it too?" Cora whispered harshly.

"Milton's a little... well, Milton's just Milton," explained Jack.

"You're so nice to your friends, Jack!" exclaimed Kelsi, latching on to his arm.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Kelsi, stop messing with his head."

"Huh?" Jack looked confused.

"Kelsi likes to play hard-to-get and easy-to-get, just to see the way the guy reacts. If she doesn't like his reaction, she'll stop flirting with him," explained Kim.

"Ohh. So, she liked Jerry's reaction?" asked Jack.

"If she didn't, she wouldn't be talking to him right now," replied Kim.

Just then, Rachel and Milton emerged from the store carrying many, many bags. Rachel, of course, had loaded all of hers into Milton's hands, and he was currently struggling with 10-15 bags. Jack pitied him,, and relived him of seven or eight bags.

Patting him on the back, he said, "C'mon, Milton! You should be used to this! How many times has Kim made us carry her stuff?"

"Hey!" Kim protested. "I carry my own stuff! You guys volunteered! Something about 'manliness.'"

"Guys will do anything to prove their manliness," explained Andrew.

"It's kind of pathetic," Wini retorted.

"So, if I asked Jack to wear hot pink to prove his manliness, he would do it?" asked Kim, looked absolutely taken with the idea.

Amanda snickered. "Probably."

Kim turned to Jack. "Hey, will you-"

"NO!"

* * *

><p><strong>Setting<strong>: AU-ish. A world where the Kickin' It gang are sons and daughters of the elite. But wait- they're teenage spies, too?

**Characters**:

Leo Howard as **Jack** Anderson- a skateboarder/hotshot karate student. He thinks Kim has a crush on him, and he's willing to chase after her for it. Son of Marie Anderson, famous model. His grandfather trained _the_ Bobby Wasabi. 15 years old.

Olivia Holt as **Kim** Crawford- A blond with a Southern twang- but don't tell her that, she might just kick you into next week. She's the head cheerleader at Seaford Prep, and a reporter for the school TV station. 15 years old. The daughter of Daniel and Ashley Crawford, two famous actors and models; respectively.

Dylan Riley Snyder as **Milton** David Krupnick- A dorky guy with a type of nerdy confidence that makes people laugh. 14 years old, and skinny as a stick. Son of Yvonne and Riley Krupnick, two renowned researchers.

Mateo Aria as **Jerry** Martinez- An interesting person, if anything. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He's just a... veryveryvery confused, and slightly off-beat 14-year-old. Harmless, really. The son of the CEO of StarBrite Studios, one of the biggest movie studios in Hollywood.

Alex Christian Jones as **Eddie** McCornick- A cello-playing, air-freshener wearing "playah." 15 years old, the son of Steven and Sabrina McCornick, director and producer; respectively.

Jason Earles as **Sensei Rudy**- An eccentric, cat-bearing sensei to the Wasabi Warriors.

Sarah Bolger as **Cora** Reynolds- Kim's best friend. She has bright pink hair and an on-off boyfriend. 14 years old, the daughter of Cassie and Richard Reynolds, a gossip columnist/music producer pair.

Cody Simpson as **Thomas** Condor- A dramatic, always flirting playboy. His favorite target is Cora, because _she's so much fun!_ 15 years old. Son of the hottest topic in Hollywood: Layne and Adam Condor, whose marital relationship is always changing.

June Temple as **Amanda** Byrant- A quiet, kind of shy girl. She skipped a grade, so she just turned 14. Daughter of Cynthia Bryant, a well-respected actress.

Madeline Carroll as **Rachel** Young- Always fashionably chic and trendy. She hates it when people dress bad. Daughter of Roquelle and Ron Young, both designers.

Abigail Breslin as **Kelsi** Mahoney- A major flirt. Jerry's been trying to get her to be his girlfriend for ages. Daughter of a model and a director.

Taylor Momsen as **Wini** Harris- A girl with a rocker look. 16 years old. Andrew's best friend. Daughter of two TV personalities.

Avan Jogia as **Andrew** Flarhety- He's got the Tall, Dark, and Handsome thing going for him- no wonder all the girls flock to him. 17 years old. Son of Amberly and Erik Flahrety, who own a little something called Gucci. **(A/N: Fan_FICTION_, 'kay?)**

AnnaSophia Robb as **Fawn** Ryan- An overly dramatic, energetic girl. 16 years old and such a flirt. Daughter of two TV personalities.

Logan Lerman as **Drew** Shawn- 17 years old. Son of two models. An equally dramatic and energetic guy who's as much of a flirt as Fawn. Now if only they'd consider each other seriously for a while...

Connor Paolo as **Scott** Williams- A charming junior who is, apparently, Jack's rival. 16 years old. Son of Cheri and Michael Williams, two actors.

Chloe Moretz as **Elle** Johnson- The new girl who seems to be after Jack's heart. 14 years old. Daughter of Michelle and Gary Johnson, a singer-songwriter pair.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: BTW, if you don't know what the actors portraying the characters are, just look them up on Google. The actors' names are listed before the characters. IMPORTANT! I started a community for Kickin' It, it's called Kickin' It (I know, creative). You'll find it under "Misc. Tv Shows" in "Communities". (1)** I know who Kelsey Vargas is on the show; this is a different one- one that Jerry's been trying to flirt with for ages, but also one that's nicer.**  
><strong>


	2. Of Babies and OMGHe'sSoHooooot!

Chapter Two: Of Babies and _OMG-He's-So-Hooooot!_

**A/N: Reviews and criticism is appreciated! IMPORTANT! Please look back at the Characters chapter; I've fixed it. BTW, the hot-pink thing and the Life Rules will be a running gag until the last couple of chapters. P.S. I'm thinking of something like a 10-20 chapter story.**

"... well, I guess you're not manly, then," sighed Kim the next day.

Jack groaned. "Damn, Kim, are you still hung up on that?"

"Hell, yeah! She better be! I wanna see you in hot pink!" chortled a gleeful Thomas.

"You know, Jerry once had pink hair," offered Eddie, eliciting a groan from said boy. "In fact, I still have pictures!"

"Ooh, show me!" cried Amanda.

"You had pink hair?" Drew was doubled over in laughter.

"Well, I think pink hair is hot," came a new voice. "Hey, babe." Meet Evan Grangely, Cora's on-off boyfriend. Currently, they're on.

Thomas gave a dramatic gasp. "Evan! Are you saying you're going gay for Jerry? Cora, I think you've got some competition!"

Cora laughed, Jerry looked creeped out, and Evan forced a smile.

"Guys, back to the matter at hand!" exclaimed Amanda, being unusually pushy and demanding. "Jack has to wear pink!"

"Whyyyy?" Jack groaned out, dropping his head between his arms.

"To prove your manliness!" was the unanimous reply.

-2-

"Kim. Kim. Kim! Hey, KIM!" Jack prodded the half-asleep girl.

"Mm? Jackie go away," she mumbled.

Momentarily stunned, (Jackie? WTF?) Jack paused, then resumed his previous action. "Kimmy! Um... Princess?"

"Ugh, what is it, Jack?" she said, finally waking up.

"There's a new girl here! Go talk to her, please?" he coaxed.

"Why can't you do it?" grumbled Kim. It was the middle of study hall, and she had been taking a much-needed nap when she had been rudely awakened by a certain Jackson Richard Anderson.

"'Cause I'd look like a creep! Now go talk to her!"

"How come you didn't think of that when you caught my apple?

"Well... you're Kim!"

"No, really?"

"Just go and talk to her already!"

"Fine, fine."

Jack watched from afar as Kim chatted with the new girl- a pretty brunette with curls. He grinned when he heard Kim's declaration of, "I don't like him!" Same old, same old. But hey, looks like there's a new girl in town!

-2-

"How goes it?" asked Eddie.

Kim gave him a strange look. "Um. It goes?"

Eddie nodded, then whispered, "Did it work? Do I seem cooler to you?"

"No. Why would you ever seem cool to me?" replied Kim bluntly. Ouch.

Eddie looked put out. "Jerry told me I would be cooler if I said, 'how goes it?' to everyone!"

Kim snickered. "And you believed him? Eddie, Life Rule Number One: Never Listen to Idiots. Rule Number Two: If You Value Your Life, Don't Listen to Idiots Like Jerry."

Jerry pretended like he hadn't heard her. "Eddie's so gullible."

"Um, Jerry?" asked Kelsi, giving him a weird look.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you wearing a bucket on your head?"

"Oh, Thomas told me it would make girls fall madly in love with me. Hey, man, " he said, nodding to Thomas, who snickered and looked away.

Cora rolled her eyes. "Jerry, you're so gullible."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

_Pa-pa-pa-pa-pak._ That was the sound of five people face-palming at Jerry's amazing intelligence- or lack, thereof.

Cora rolled her eyes. "Jerry, Life Rule Number Three: Thomas Condor is an Idiot and Should Never Be Trusted."

"Thanks, sweetie-pie!" cooed Thomas, earning him weird looks from Jack, Milton, Wini, and Rachel as they sat down.

"No problem, honey-bun!" replied Cora, playing along. Once again, earning her strange looks from Andrew, Fawn, Drew, and Amanda. And one extra person.

"Hi!" Elle.

"Hey, Elle. Guys, this is Elle Johnson. She's new, and I invited her to sit with us," explained Kim.

"Ha! Kim, does she smell like she's new?" challenged Jack.

Kim slapped him on the arm playfully. "Shut up. Anyway, Elle, why don't you go sit by lover boy there. I think he saved you a seat." Kim smirked. _Score!_

"Oh. Um, okay..." Elle trailed off, clearly uncomfortable.

"She's just kidding," Jack assured, shooting Kim a pointed glare. She just waved and smiled sweetly at him.

Score:

Jack: 0

Kim: 1

Elle: ...

-2-

"OHMYGOD, OHMYGOD!" squealed Kim excitedly as she entered the dojo. She was never one for squealing, but the situation called for it.

"What?" asked Jack, clearly amused.

Kim waved a hand at him dismissively. "You wouldn't understand. Cora! Fawn! Oh. My. Freaking. God!"

"What's got you so excited? I haven't seen you like this since the Ricky Weaver Incident!" exclaimed Cora.

"Okay, you know Scott Williams?" said Kim.

"Who doesn't?" replied Fawn.

"He totally just flirted with me today!"

"WHAT? When?" shrieked Cora.

"Just a few minutes ago! I was buying coffee-"

"Rudy says not to drink coffee before training," Milton reprimanded gently.

Kim waved a hand at him dismissively. "Rudy also says that he's married and living in a giant mansion. Anyway, I forgot to bring money, so while I was standing there hoping to find some spare change in my pockets, Scott came up to me and paid for my coffee!"

"What's so special about that? I would've paid for your coffee," muttered Jack.

"I told you you wouldn't get it!" replied Kim. "And that's not all. We talked for a few minutes afterward, and he was really nice."

"Aww! That's so sweet! And Scott Williams? OMG, he's so hooooooot!" squealed Fawn excitedly.

"I didn't expect Kim to be the type to fall that easily for a guy," muttered Jack, Drew, and Thomas, both looking a little put out that they were not the ones being described as "OMG-he's-so-hooooot!" Ego-maniacs.

"Oh, Kim's had this big-ass crush on him since last year," explained Cora. "You might not be able to tell, since Kim's so tough and all, but she's really just a big softie. She's a sucker for the whole knight-in-shining-armor routine. So when Scott Williams was the first one to start opening doors for her, the deal was sealed. Nice work, girl!"

Kim grinned happily. "C'mon, let's start."

"Finally," groaned the six guys who had been forced to listen to five minutes of girlish squealing and OMG-he's-so-hoooooot!

**Jack's POV**

Okay, I'll admit, I was a little shocked when Kim burst in, squealing "OMG!" over and over again. And later, I found out it was because of some guys! Like, WTF? Kim doesn't squeal. She just doesn't. And yeah, if I told my sister what happened, she'd be all, "Oooh, you sound like a jealous boy-toy! But you're not her jealous boy-toy yet! OMG, ask her out!" But, c'mon, it's Laurie. She thinks that unicorns live in magical cotton candy castles. Sometimes I wonder how she got through her first year of college. Anyway, I'm not jealous. Andersons don't get jealous, because what Andersons want, Andersons get. And I don't want Kim- not in that way, at least.

-2-

"Hello, Kimberly Anne Crawford," sighed Ms. Dviatri, Seaford Prep's Health teacher. "Greetings, Jackson Richard Howard, Cora Marie Reynolds, Thomas Frances Condor, and Eddie Gary McCornick."

"Frances?" snickered Jack.

"Shut up! Why is she calling us by our middle names?" whispered Thomas, turning red.

"Salutations, Rachel Hannah Young, Jerry Colin Smith, Kelsi Calliope Mahoney and Milton David Krupnick." Ms. Dviatri smiled whimsically.

"Is she high?" whispered Amanda.

Kim shrugged. "She doesn't look high."

"Guys, it's Ms. Dviatri, remember? She's _loco_," said Jerry, making little circles near his temple.

"I heard last year she made her students make pretend families," said Milton confidentially. It was the only class the ten of them had together, since Drew, Fawn, Wini, and Andrew were juniors and they were only sophomores.

"Greetings to you all! Please sit down, I am Ms. Dviatri. Welcome to your first day of Health at Seaford Prep." As Ms. Dviatri started to drone on, everyone in the room expertly tuned her out. That is, until she said, "This month, your assignment will be to create temporary families. You can be in a group of ten people, maximum. You'll pick out your basic living information from a hat, and you will continue to stay in character for the rest of the month. No need to do so at home, unless the living situation you pick requires it."

Cue the dead silence.

-2-

Five minutes later, then ten friends were part of a "family", and were about to pick their living situations.

Kim squeezed her eyes shut, and reached into the hat. She raised an eyebrow. "Jack, looks like we're bound in matrimonial harmony, with a baby, too. Wow, life moves fast!" **(A/N: This little tidbit from MySeaSaltIceCream- I didn't ask for permission, but I hope it's okay!)**

Thomas gave Jack a mock-serious look. "I wish you luck, buddy." Then he burst out laughing. "'Cause you're married to Kim!"

"Why me?" asked Jack halfheartedly.

Kim cheerfully whacked Thomas upside the head, and replied, "Because the card said to choose someone with a first name initial closest to mine, and K comes after J."

"Oh, well this won't be too hard," said Cora. "I'm a teenager madly in love."

"Um, Cora?" said Thomas hesitantly.

"Hm?"

"I'm the one you're madly in love with."

"WHAT?" Looks like she spoke too soon.

"Hey, Milton," said Jerry.

"What?"

"I'm an uncle! Hah! I'm supposed to be Jack's brother. My wife and I have three kids... one of them is Cora. Wow. That's not right."

"Jerry, I'm supposed to be your wife," sighed Kelsi.

Eddie beamed. "Cool! I'm a successful businessman with a beautiful wife and two kids... of which one is Thomas. Erm..."

"I'm the wife of a successful businessman with two kids... one of which is Thomas. Guess I'm your wife, then," shrugged Amanda, looking pleased. Her expression matched Eddie's.

"I'm a grandfather! Whoa, I guess I'm really wise..." Milton trailed off. "Now c'mon, who's my wife? Oh, by the way, I'm Jack's dad. Okay..."

"I'm your wife. I wonder what shade of gray I should wear tomorrow as a grandmother," replied Rachel morbidly.

"Now, now, children," reprimanded Ms. Dviatri. "Jack, Eddie, Jerry, Amanda, Kim, and Kelsi all have kids. Kim and Jack, you'll be given a fake baby with real baby behavior. Jerry, Amanda, Kelsi, and Eddie; likewise, only you'll have toddlers and maybe a baby thrown in there. Have fun, my little angels!" And with that, she swept up.

"Okay, I seriously think she's high. For realz," said Milton. Some people wondered briefly about the "for realz", but then realized that it was Milton, and shrugged.

Life will move on.

"No, I will NOT kiss you!" shrieked Cora.

"But I'm your boyfriend!" protested Thomas. "Now c'mon, sweeheart, just one kiss!"

Cora screamed.

Well, maybe life has to be stopped every once in a while.

Score:

Ms. Dviatri: Bazillion

Everyone else: -Bazillion


	3. Of DeathTraps and Baby Names

Chapter 3: Of Death-Traps and Baby Names

**A/N: Thanks to GoldenSnitchSeeker7 for pointing out my mistake. Kim says, "the person whose first name initial is closest to mine" in the previous chapter. GoldenSnitchSeeker7 pointed out that it could also be Jerry. Let's just say that nobody wants to be hitched to Jerry, but Kelsi had no choice. IMPORTANT! If you haven't looked at the Characters chapter yet (or even if you have), please look it over again. I changed it. Last time, I promise :) WARNING! There will be occasional swearing in this story.**

It was the end of school, and Kim was getting her stuff. All was well, the birds were chirping, the mobs of kids, were, for once, not fighting, Cinderella had fit the slipper, Snow White had gotten mouth-to-mouth from Prince Charming and was well and alive, blah blah blah-

"BOO!" a voice said in her ear.

Kim screamed, whirling around and slamming her head back against her locker. "What the hell?"

Jack laughed, his breath sending tingles down her spine and making her cheeks turn pink. "Wow, Kim, I never knew you were so easily scared."

"I'm not! You just surprised me," she mumbled, not quite comfortable with the space- or lack, thereof- between them. Jack had come up behind her, put his arms on either side of her head, and said, "BOO!" in her ear. When she whirled around, it had left her with no personal space. "Jack. Popping my bubble," she said pointedly.

He laughed again, then removed his arms from both sides of her head, leaning against a locker as he watched her finish loading her stuff into her bag. As the sun glistened against her golden blond hair, he wondered what it would be like to twirl one of those silky strands in between his fingers and- wait, back it up. Oh, God help him, he sounded like a Pantene commercial.

"So, what did you want to tell me?" asked Kim.

Jack blinked, awakened from his stupor. "Oh, I just wondered if you wanted to come over to my house later, to take care of the baby. It's the weekend and I figured you could stay over at my house."

Kim nodded. "Sure. I'll meet you at your house later, okay? I just have to pack my bag." She was about to leave, then remembered something. "Actually, do you mind taking me to my house? Langston, my chauffeur, if sick this week, and I don't have my driver's license yet. Sorry?"

Jack smiled. "No problem. But uh, I don't know if you would want me to take you home..."

"Why not? Your driver can't be that bad," said Kim, breezing past him.

"Don't say I didn't tell you so," mumbled Jack, following her.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no. Nonononono!" Kim protested vehemently.<p>

Jack laughed. "I told you so."

"I am not getting on that death-trap!" she exclaimed, standing her ground.

He shrugged. "C'mon, Kim, I'll have my own car by Christmas, and my full driver's license. Right now, all I have is a motorcycle and a chauffeur who is on vacation. Sorry." **(1)**

"No! I refuse to get on that thing! Jack, I thought you stopped with all the life-threatening transportation devices."

"They aren't life-threatening-"

"Oh, don't you start this with me. First, it was an electric scooter. Then, it was the skateboard. Which you came flying through a wall with. Now, it's the motorcycle. There is no way, in no place or time, will I ever-"

Mid-rant, he scooped her up in his arms.

"Jack! Put me down!" she shrieked.

"Nope." He chuckled as he deposited her safely on to the seat of his motorcycle. "There. Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He smirked at her, plopping a helmet on her head and cheerfully strapping it on for her.

"Jack." She growled dangerously.

"Yes, Princess?"

"You are so dead."

* * *

><p>After fifteen minutes of Kim clutching Jack like there was no tomorrow, Jack laughing at her, and Kim cheerfully pinching him in return, they finally arrived at the Crawford's place.<p>

As Kim typed in her pass code, Jack massaged the back of his neck and whined. "Kim, why did you pinch my neck so hard?"

"'Cause you made me ride on that death trap, and laughed at me. Would you like to continue this conversation?"

He said nothing. Smart boy.

* * *

><p>"Sorry that Jerry's here," apologized Jack as he dropped his backpack on the floor. "He's on some kind of sugar high, and he plays with fire, so his housekeeper doesn't trust him by himself. But hey, Kelsi had to bring him, so she's here, too."<p>

Kim nodded, wondering for a second about the playing-with-fire thing, then decided that since it was Jerry, it was probably true.

"Hey, Kim," greeted Kelsi.

"Hey, Kels." She grinned. "Stuck babysitting Jerry?"

Kelsi grimaced. "Yup."

"Hey! I'm not being babysat... am I?"

They all chuckled at Jerry's expense while he looked around.

"Hey, while we're at it, why not invited everyone else over here as well?" suggested Kim.

Kelsi brightened up at that. "Hey, the more the merrier. That also means I can hand Jerry off to someone else."

"Hey!"

* * *

><p>"Guys, come look at this. Unbelievable," chuckled Milton. He turned the computer screen towards the rest of the group. It was Hollywood Offspring Online (a very popular magazine- online and in real life).<p>

"Par-tay Time! The Andersons are opening their doors for our very own teenage superstars! Wini, Milton, Eddie, Andrew, Fawn, Cora, Drew, Thomas, Rachel, Amanda, Kelsi, Jerry, and Kim were all seen entering the Anderson's mansion today- the Crawford karate champion/model seen entering with fellow karate master/model as well as best friend Jack Anderson. We wonder, is there something going on?" Cora read aloud, then burst out laughing. "I admit, the romance part wasfairly amusing, but really? We all just got here like 10 minutes ago. Man, these reporters are fast."

"Actually, I think I saw someone hiding in the bushes," Milton informed them.

Andrew grabbed the mouse and scrolled down. "Hey look, there's more!"

Fawn began to read aloud. "Additionally, Rachel Young, daughter of the designer-duo as well as a fashionista in her own right, was seen wearing all shades of gray. We wonder, is this a new mod fashion trend? Or is Rachel finally losing her touch? In any case, we'll keep you posted. HO, out."

"Did anyone else notice that their initials spell 'ho?'" asked Jerry.

"Jerry, not now," sighed Kelsi.

"Oh, my God," groaned Rachel. "So they noticed, too. I'm a grandma. I'm supposed to wear dull, drab clothes. So sue me."

"Well, Julie Andrew is a grandma," Amanda pointed out.

"And she's pretty fashionable," Fawn added.

"And what about Coco Chanel? She was old enough to be a grandma, but she was a fashion icon," said Cora reverently.

""You're right!" exclaimed Rachel. "You know what? I'm going to be the most fashioable grandma Hollywood's ever seen! C'mon, let's go shopping!"

"Rachel. We're not going with you to the mall. Get Milton to take you home and get new clothes or something." Yes, Amanda has her demanding moments. So, Rachel and Milton left. Because, honestly, you don't want to get on Amanda's bad side. It's just... scary.

"Hey, I just realized something," said Jerry.

Kelsi snickered delicately. "That your fly is down?"

"Oh, Shit, that, too." Jerry quickly pulled it up, then continued. "No, I realized that Ms. Dviatri said we didn't have to stay in character after school ends!"

There was a cheer, then-

"Actually, _we_ have to," said Eddie, gesturing between himself, Amanda, Kelsi, Jerry, Jack, and Kim. "We have kids. We're supposed to take care of them 24/7."

"Eddie," groaned Jack.

"Sorry!" Eddie held his hands up.

"Hey, is this about that fake family thing with Ms. Dviatri?" asked Drew. Amanda nodded.

"Oh, believe me, you have to stay in character. If you slip up in class, that's two Saturday detentions in a row," explained Wini.

Andrew snorted. "Ms. Dviatri's just living her dream of being a drama teacher, and this is as close as she'll ever get. You might as well humor her. After all, your grade this year does determine whether or not you have to take it again next year."

"Hey, I just remembered. Kelsi, where are our kids?" asked Jerry innocently.

"JERRY! You _lost_ our _kids_?" shrieked Kelsi.

Jerry winced. Girls have a high-pitched shriek, they really really do. "Well, I know where Cora is!"

"Yeah, _Mom_," Cora teased, enjoying every second of this fully.

Kelsi glared at her, then stopped. An angelic smile spread over her face. Smiling serenely all the while, she said, "Cora, _dear_, please go find your little brother and sister. Otherwise, you'll be grounded for a week."

"Wha-? Not fair! That was a low blow, _Mother_," grumbled Cora.

"Don't be a difficult child, Cora. Go find your siblings," commanded Kelsi.

"Fine. I hate you."

"See, you've got this mother-daughter thing down pat! Oh, and I love you too, _sweetie_!"

"Wait a second," said Amanda, a delightful smile appearing on her face. "Thomas, _dear_, please go take care of Marcus."

"Marcus?" was the general question.

"That's the name of our baby," explained Eddie.

"Why me?" grumbled Thomas, taking the baby from Amanda's arms.

"Because you're a good child, aren't you?" cooed Amanda. Thomas began backing up. "Good boy!"

"Kim, how come we haven't had a second kid yet? We have no one to hand this baby off to!" whined Jack.

Kim chose to ignore him. "That's nice, _honey_. Hey, speaking of our kid, how come we didn't name it yet?"

Jerry looked triumphant. "I already named mine! Cora is, of course, Cora, the baby boy is Jerry Jr., and the baby girl is Kelsi Jr." He smiled happily as everyone face-palmed.

Jack glanced at Kim hopefully. She glared at him. "We are not naming out baby after you!"

"Guys, I think your baby's a girl," said Rachel, suddenly appearing.

"Where did you come from?" asked Wini.

"We just got back a few minutes ago. Milton's still out in the hallway, admiring your color schemes or something," explained Rachel. "I abandoned him. Should I feel bad?"

Andrew considered it for a moment, then replied, "Nah. He'll be fine."

"Wanna go see a movie?" asked Drew. There was a general murmur of assent, so he asked, "Jack, where's your home theater?"

"Down the left, take the elevator, it's on Floor T. Keep walking until you reach the glass doors," replied Jack.

"Thanks, man. Let's go!"

Soon, it was just Jack and Kim in the living room.

"Wanna go grab something to eat?" he offered.

She shrugged. "Sure."

Entering the kitchen, Jack jumped on the counter and started tossing an apple back and forth, while Kim took out two ice cream Drumsticks. She tossed one to him, and he caught it, not before dropping the apple. She caught it on her foot, and experienced déjà vu. Jack grinned at her, knowing what she was feeling. As they wandered back to the living room, Jack suggested that they call their baby Kim Jr. She stepped on his foot. Predictable, much?

"We are not naming the baby Kim Jr.!" she exclaimed. "Now how about something like... wow, this is a nice picture." Her tone softened, fingertips tracing the outline of a family portrait.

Jack smiled softly. "That was taken a year ago, before we moved here."

"Is that your dad?" asked Kim gently. She knew that Jack's dad, Richard Anderson, had died the year before.

Jack nodded, not trusting himself to say anything for fear that his voice might break. After a moment, he said, "We moved here because Mom thought we needed a change of scenery. Everything in San Francisco reminded us of him."

Kim nodded, placing her head on his shoulder delicately. She sensed that he needed nothing more, nothing less. She reached up to touch the picture again. "Who's that?" she asked gently.

Jack looked up, his face clearing as a smile spread across his face. "That's Laurie, my older sister. She takes Photography at UCLA."

"She's beautiful," said Kim. An idea occurred to her. "Hey, why don't we name our baby Laurie?"

Jack grinned. "Laurie it is, then. My sister would love that."

"Perfect." Kim didn't know what possessed her to do so, (because, really, it wasn't rational at all) but she leaned up (damn him and his genetics- at 15, he was 5'10" while she was a measly 5'5") and kissed his cheek softly. Like a dork, he touched the place she had kissed, a slow smile spreading across his face. They stayed like that, her with her head on his shoulder, him with an arm wrapped comfortably around her waist, and the two of them quiet and serene, for several more moments, then-

"JACK! KIM! GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN HERE!" yelled Fawn.

Party pooper.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (1) I know the legal driving ages for both motorcycles and cars. I'm changing the motorcycle one to 14, the car one to 15 1/2) That's about it!**


	4. Of Matrimonial Harmony and Interviews

Chapter 4: Of Matrimonial Harmony and Interviews

**A/N: IMPORTANT! I started a new Kickin' It story, The Road to Getting Hitched. It's kind of like a sequel to this story. Go check it out if you're interested.**

Sunlight filtered through the curtains as Kim opened her eyes. Sleepily, she looked around at her friends, a half-smile adorning her face as she surveyed them fondly. Jerry was sprawled out in the middle of the basement, (they had all brought sleeping bags down there last night) everyone having given him a wide berth (he tended to kick in his sleep). Only Kelsi was crazy enough to actually be within five feet of him. Milton was curled up, with Rachel close by (the latter muttering something about "fashion disasters" and "clashes with your eyes"). Amanda and Eddie held Marcus in between them as they slumbered on peacefully. Thomas and Cora, amidst all of their fighting, had ended up during the middle of the night in each others arms. Kim had a private "aww!" moment, then got up slowly, careful not to wake anyone up. Wini, Andrew, Fawn, and Drew had all left the night before, having to go to the Hamptons with their family, and wouldn't be back until school started again.

As Kim padded quietly upstairs, she heard and smelled the distinct crackle and scent of bacon and eggs. She breathed in deeply, leaning against the doorway as she watched Jack expertly maneuver his way around the kitchen. Watching him, she felt at peace, as if they were a real family. Quickly, she shook those thoughts out of her head. Childish fantasies, right? Right.

"Hey," said Jack softly.

Kim smiled. "Hey, you. I didn't know you could cook."

He grinned. "I don't just _cook_. I am a master chef!"

She giggled. "Right. But gosh, it does smell good!"

He held up a plate of bacon and eggs. "Want some?"

She nodded and reached for the plate. He laughed and kept it out of her reach. She kept jumping up, but he had five inches over her. She considered using karate or gymnastics, but decided it was too much effort.

"Please?" she said, widening her eyes and pushing her bottom lip out. Ah, the Puppy Dog Eyes and Pout. Yes, it totally deserves the capitals, because it's a woman's greatest weapon. Actually, that would be crying. Jack felt himself cracking, and she knew it, too. And then she said his voice in the most adorably innocent (does that even make sense?) voice he had ever heard, and the deal was sealed.

"Fine." Jack relented, handing her the plate. She smiled happily and kissed him on the cheek as a reward. Skipping lightly away to the table, she didn't see him staring after her, his hand reaching up to touch his cheek once again. Whoa, déjà vu.

However, she was a perceptive person, so she explained, "Hey, we're married. Might as well act like it."

He nodded, looking a little disappointed that that was the only reason she kissed him.

Seeing the expression on his face, she giggled. "Don't worry, Jack, I think you're plenty cute."

Jack grinned at her teasing, and replied, "You're not so bad. But that's no surprise. After all, beautiful people deserve to be together, right?" He swung himself over the counter and onto a chair. Sitting down, he watched her eat. And of course, that's when the sunlight shimmered against her hair at the perfect angle. He couldn't resist. He took a strand of her golden blond hair and twirled it between his fingers. She held very still as he watched the sunlight dance on her hair, a strangely fascinated expression on his face. _Ding!_

He cleared his throat and let go of her hair. "Sorry. Um, that was the toast. I should probably..."

"Yeah, you should, you know, go, 'cause the food's ready and all, and yeah..." she rambled nervously.

He smiled Softly and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Married couple, right?" His mouth was _sososo_ close to her ear, and his breath sent shivers down her spine. He grinned and swung himself out of the chair and over the counter.

Kim let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Jack was giving her feelings that she knew were not supposed to apply to best friends. Damnitt, she had to control herself. _You have Scott! Remember Scott? He bought you coffee!_ She tried to convince herself, but a little voice said, _Yeah, but Jack would have gotten you a mocha frappe with extra whipped cream and caramel, because he knows you don't really like coffee._

While Kim was having her internal debate, the others slowly started to trickle in.

"Hey, Kim. 'Sup, Jack?" greeted Thomas, his arm around a still half-asleep Cora's waist.

"Bunnies," the pink-haired girl mumbled, her mind far, far, away in dreamland.

"Morning, Kim. This is great food, Jack!" exclaimed Jerry enthusiastically.

Kelsi rolled her eyes. "What? You're not going to give your wife a kiss?"

Jerry's eyes widened. "You'd let me do that?"

She sighed. "If I must."

"Yes!" An ecstatic Jerry leaned over and kissed her cheek. Kelsi turned a color that hadn't been seen on her face for a long time- pink.

Amanda and Rachel walked in just in time to witness Kelsi's unusual blush, and had an "aww!" moment. Eddie and Milton stumbled in afterward, both looking sleepy.

"Guys, I know what will wake you up!" Jack snapped his fingers and held up a plate. "Eggs and bacon!"

He distributed them all around, but Cora, Thomas, Rachel, and Amanda looked at theirs suspiciously.

"Kim didn't help you with this, did she?" asked Rachel apprehensively.

Jack looked confused. "No, why?"

Amanda and Thomas both breathed a sigh of relief, before catching Kim's glare and waving guiltily at her.

"Kim's a terrible cook," explained Cora. "She tried baking pre-cut cookies once and almost burnt down the house."

"Hey! Leave me and my... questionable cooking skills alone!" exclaimed Kim, swatting at her best friend.

"_What_ cooking skills?" muttered Thomas and Cora, while at the same time, Rachel and Amanda went, "More like poisonous."

Kim pouted, going back to her breakfast, muttering angrily under her breath. Cora heard snatches of, "Everyone's a critic" and "I didn't burn down the house, I only set fire to it!" She chose the ignore the mutterings of her crazy best friend.

Suddenly, everyone's phones buzzed.

"Get ready for interview. 10 o'clock, sharp. Huh?" Eddie read aloud, confused. "It's from my publicity agent. Did you guys get one, too?" There were nods and murmurs of agreement all around.

Suddenly, Milton snapped his fingers. "I know! This is probably from Hollywood Offspring, wanting a follow=up to yesterday's crazy story."

"Wait a second. 10 o'clock sharp? That means we only have-" Jerry paused, counting on his fingers.

Impatiently, Kelsi swatted his fingers away and said, "Fifteen minutes! We only have fifteen minutes!"

Oh, shit.

-4-

"Here we are, live at the Anderson's large California mansion. I'm Kandy Klaus, and we're about to get an exclusive from our favorite teenage offspring of Hollywood." Kandy paused to press the intercom. "KK speaking, we have an exclusive today."

Jack's voice came crackling through. "Come on in."

Kandy clutched the microphone close to her as the gates opened. "Yesterday night, Andrew, Fawn, Drew, and Wini were seen leaving, reportedly to go spend Veteran's day in the Hamptons with family. However, they were the only ones to leave. Curious as to what the rest of them were doing? We are, too, so we decided to get a follow-up to yesterday's story."

-4-

Inside the mansion was chaos. Girls and guys alike looked for matching clothes to wear, because in Hollywood, one slip-up is one major scandal. Jack, Kim, Rachel, Milton, Thomas, and Cora were the first to be ready.

"Okay, guys. Time to see Kandy Klaus, no matter how unpleasant it may be. Ready?" asked Jack. They all nodded confidently. Eh, interviews, photo shoots, new singles on the Billboard Top Ten. Whatever. As long as they're given the time to look good.

-4-

"Hello, Jack!" exclaimed Kandy, stepping in. "And of course, Kim, Milton, Thomas, Cora, and- Rachel! We were told you would be dressed all all shades of gray! May we ask, what happened?"

Just then, Eddie, Amanda, Jerry, and Kelsi arrived.

"Oh, and Jerry, Kelsi, Eddie, Amanda- oh my, why are you all carrying babies?" Kandy Klaus had never been so baffled in her entire life.

They all took turns explaining Ms. Dviatri's weekend assignment **(A/N: Yeah, I changed it. It's just for the weekend now)**, as well as their own living situations. Rachel was last, and when they got to her, she explained about wearing gray and being a grandma.

"Well, this assignment is quite interesting! But first, Jack and Kim, we'd like to ask you some questions." Kandy Klaus may have been baffled, but KK doesn't get flustered.

The rest of the group, sensing that they were no longer needed, trickled back the way they came from.

"So, Jack, celebrity crush?" she asked suddenly.

Jack answered quickly. "Kim Kardashian."

"Kim Kardashian, huh? She's kind of like the icon of all brunettes, right?" Glancing at Kim, Kandy asked, "Blonds or brunette

Jack paused for a second, then replied, "Brunettes."

Kim gasped theatrically. "Jack!"

He smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"You better be, how could you not say blond? Your girlfriend, after all, is a blond," said Kandy slyly.

"Oh, no- she's not- he's not- we're not dating-" Kim and Jack stumbled over their words, while a delighted smile spread over Kandy's face.

She leaned towards the camera. "A secret romance, perhaps?"

Kim and Jack tried to protest, but they were completely ignored. Duh, it's gossip girl/television lady. Psh, they never tell the truth. Plus, they ignore important people. Jerks.

-4-

"That was horrible," groaned Jack, flopping down on a couch.

Kim sank down beside him, swinging her legs onto his lap. "I agree. That Kandy lady reminded me of hose Barbies I did a commercial for when I was four. Fake, plastic, and too much make up."

"I just want to sleep for the rest of forever," groaned Kelsi, not bothering to even sit down, simply lying down on the expensive Persian rug.

Kim arched an eyebrow. "What have _you_ been doing that could have been so tiring while Jack and I were being relentlessly grilled by Barbie, huh?"

Kelsi glowered at one of her oldest friends. "Try chasing after Jerry for two hours while Kelsi Jr. and Jerry Jr. require constant attention. Screw the babies, Jerry is a whole other problem. Did you know he tried to eat one of those fake fruits in the foyer?"

Jack chuckled. "Typical Jerry. Does his mom still have those child-proof locks on all the cabinets?"

Kelsi grimaced. "As long as Jerry is still stuck on his sugar high, then yeah."

"Hey, guys," said Milton, walking in. "Whoa, Kelsi, do you feel like a third wheel right now?"

She glared at him. "What I feel like is sleeping for the rest of forever."

"Hey, guys- whoa, third wheel, much?" Rachel crinkled her nose. "I guess I'm the third third wheel."

"That doesn't make sense," deadpanned Cora, appearing suddenly.

"_What_ happened?" asked Kim, aghast. Cora looked like ten years had been put on her.

Thomas glided (yes, glided) in. "Me! She's been running away from me all day. Jeez, Cora, do you want to fail?"

"We're a couple, Thomas, not on our honeymoon," Cora retorted.

"Hey guys!" Amanda bounded cheerfully into the room, then looked at all their faces. "Oh, wow. Bad day?"

"You have no idea," groaned Jack, Kim, Kelsi, and Cora collectively.

"Well, I've got great news! Eddie asked me out!"

Kim and Kelsi weren't heartless (contrary to what some people might say). "Congrats, girl!" they exclaimed, hugging their recent friend (Amanda had moved to Cali from Chicago the year before).

Eddie walked in, beaming. "It's great, right?"

Jerry came in as well. "Man, playahs don't get tied down!"

Milton snorted. "Jerry, let's get one thing straight. Eddie was never a 'playah' no matter what he says."

"Hey, looks like Jerry finally came down from his sugar high!" exclaimed Cora.

Kelsi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, God."

"Celebration kiss?" Thomas coaxed.

Cora, tired with running away, decided to surprise the blond. She leaned up and planted a big one right on his lips, pulling away after a second or two.

She smirked. "That what you wanted?"

Thomas blinked slowly. "Yeah..."

"Oh, we have that movie premiere tonight, remember?" said Jerry, smacking his forehead.

"Ohmygod, he's right!" exclaimed Kelsi, leaping to her feet. "Crap! Kim, I'll meet you at your place in five!" Similar responses were prompted out of Amanda, Rachel, Cora, and Kim.

"See you in five!" Kim called over her shoulder, pausing to give Jack a quick kiss on the cheek. "Pick us up at six, don't forget to lock the door."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I know. You act as if I do nothing around here. I do live here, you realize?"

Kim burst out laughing, an _aw-isn't-he-adorable_ look on her face. "Sure, honey, whatever you say. Now buh-bye."

Matrimonial harmony, indeed.


	5. Of Premiere Pictures and Code Names

Of Premiere Pictures and Code Names

**A/N: So, how are you liking the story so far? I hope it's up to your standards! BTW, to the people who always review, COOKIES and HUGS to all of you! :) For you, I updated TWICE in ONE DAY! I'm pretty proud of myself- I'm usually a procrastinator ;)**

"So, Kim," said Kelsi conversationally. "What's up with you and Jackie-boy, huh?"

"Yeah, I saw a lot of touching and kisses on the cheek today," added Cora, fixing her earring.

Kim blushed, then shrugged. She didn't really know how to describe them. They were... what were they, really? Friends? Yeah. Best friends? Certainly. In a relationship? Nah, not really. They had been playing this game for ages. They knew practically everything about each other. The kind of relationship they had was a game, really. A game of Nervous, Yet? or Who Breaks First. Neither wanted to lose. Neither would give in. Kim sighed. "C'mon, guys, you know Jack and me... we've always been playing this game. We always flirt, but it's just teasing, nothing more. Besides, Jack's always talking my ear off about some girl or the other." Disgust stole over her features. Did you know he actually made me make friends with a girl he likes?"

"Elle Johnson?" guessed Rachel, her hands constantly moving through Kim's walk-in closet. Kim nodded.

Amanda paused in the middle of applying mascara. "The new girl?"

Cora snorted. "More like new flavor of the week. I swear, that boy has the attention span of a gnat. One week, it was Carrie Hale. The next, it was Julie Franklin. Now, we have Elle Johnson."

Kim shook her head. "No, I think he really likes her. Besides, did y'all hear about Scott?"

"OMG he's so hooooot!" squealed Rachel, Kelsi, and Cora collectively. Kim raised an eyebrow at Amanda.

The girl shook her head. "I'll admit that he _is_ hot, but I've got my own Prince Charming now, thankyouverymuch."

Kim grinned. "Speaking of, we need to make you look gorgeous tonight at the premiere."

"No, speaking of _you_, _we_ need to make sure _you_ are drop-dead gorgeous," corrected Amanda.

"More than usual?" smirked Kim.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Elle's going to be there, and I'll bet my new Louboutins that she'll be hanging onto Jack the whole entire night. And we can't have him one-upping him, now can we?" She held up a Max Azria Atelier dress. It was a long, elegant, black dress, with dark magenta lace extending from the shoulders upwards, covering the arms.

"Nice choice, Rach!" congratulated Amanda, surveying the dress.

Rachel flipped her hair. "Expect nothing less out of Rachel Young, my dear."

Kim eyed the dress. "It's beautiful," she finally admitted. "But it needs..."

"A touch of Kim?" suggested Kelsi, winking.

Kim grinned. "Just what I was thinking. Rachel, grab your sewing kit..."

-5-

_Ding dong!_ The doorbell rang and Helen hurried to answer it.

"The ladies will be down shortly," said Helen, her British accent clear to the five boys who entered the foyer.

Jack nodded, hands in pockets. Jerry looked around, Milton accidentally tripped, Eddie tapped his feet on the marble floor nervously (first date, whaddaya expect?), and Thomas just looked _bored_.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late- wow," Amanda breathed out. "You guys look good." But her eyes were solely fixed on Eddie. An Eddie who, we might add, was openly staring, making Amanda blush as she descended the staircase in her Chinese-style short white dress.

"Always the tone of surprise," muttered Thomas, but his heart wasn't really into it, because the next second Cora appeared, and he gave a loud wolf-whistle that echoed on the ceiling of the two-floor foyer. Cora descended, a vision (quite literally) in pink. Pink hair, pink dress (short and ruched), pink shoes, just _pink_. She, of course, pointedly ignored Thomas' outstretched hand as her high heels reached the bottom step.

"We both have dates," she reminded him. "Speaking of, where's yours?"

"I could ask you the same," replied Thomas.

Cora rolled her eyes. "Evan is meeting me there."

"Madelin, or Margaret, or maybe-" Thomas snapped his fingers. "I got it! Madison Hartnett, that's her name. We're meeting at the red carpet."

"New eye candy?" inquired Kelsi, stepping foot onto the marble floor, her heels clicking imperiously as she made her way to Jerry. He bowed and kissed her gloved hand softly. Not clumsily, because he was bred into a life where your appearance means everything. That was never more true than when he saw Kelsi. She looked like a modern-day Cinderella, with her one-strap blue dress and glass heels.

Rachel made an appearance next, striking a pose as she descended the staircase in all of her fashionista glory. She wore a sparkly lavender dress, daringly open-backed. The dress was flashy and fashionable, just like her. She looked _good_, and she knew everyone else knew it.

Milton only encouraged this by pretending to be a photographer. "Good! Less attitude, more smile. Yes, that's it!"

But the one who shined over them all that night was Kim Crawford. After all, she _was_ trying to one-up Elle, impress Scott, and, according to the girls, make Jack fall madly in love with her.

As Kim descended the staircase, all Jack could see was her. She wore the black Max Azria Atelier dress- only with a touch of Kim. The dress was no longer long and elegant. Instead, thanks to Rachel's sewing prowess, it was the quintessential little black dress. Her hair, which earlier that day he had twirled between his fingers, was curled in gently waves. She looked, in a word, amazing. _No_ girl is _ever_ too young to wear black.

Kim felt Jack's stare on her, and fought back a blush. She took Jack's proffered hand graciously, taking the time to, well, check him out. Instead of a suit, like all the other guys had, he opted for a more casual look. Black dress shirt rolled up to the elbows, a black t-shirt underneath, black dress pants, and his signature black Vans.

"You look nice," he said, surprising her.

"Thanks," she replied. "You, too."

"So, what movie are we seeing, anyways?" asked Eddie suddenly.

"Prom," replied Milton promptly.

"Sounds like a chick flick," groaned Jack.

Kim hit him upside the head. "It is a chick flick!" And just like that, things were back to normal- Kim and Jack continued their game of flirting, Jerry was an idiot, Kelsi, Rachel, and Cora were flirts, and Amanda and Eddie were sweet.

And, of course, Hollywood was waiting.

-5-

"I'm Kandy Klaus, here live at the world premiere of Disney's new movie, Prom!" KK looked at ease- after all, this was her turf. Gossip, scandal, and lies. Lots of lies. "Ooh, and here comes our new favorite couple, Jack Anderson and Kim Crawford!"

"We're not dating!" snapped the two at the same time.

"In fact," said Kim, an idea occurring to her. "I have a date!"

"So do I," said Jack quickly- he wasn't going to let Kim one-up him.

Kandy raised an eyebrow. "And who might that be?"

"Uh... Scott!" cried Kim, spotting the dark-haired boy being photographed from all angles. He turned to her, a surprised smile on his lips.

"Hi, Kim!" he greeted, swinging an arm around her shoulders easily. He grinned charmingly at the camera.

"Scott Williams is your date?" asked Kandy, waiting for a confession, or something.

Scott looked surprised, but took one look at Kim's face, figured it was another paparazzi screw-up, and played along. "Yup. I'm her date." He placed a kiss on her cheek for extra emphasis.

"And... Elle here is mine!" exclaimed Jack, grabbing Kandy's attention.

Elle looked quite startled, but pleased. "Hi, Kandy. I'm back."

Kandy beamed. "Yes, you truly are. Ladies and gents, let's welcome back Elle Johnson, fresh in from Newport, Rhode Island!"

"Oliver Togan," said a fresh-faced young man, shaking Kim's hand. Kim nodded, recognizing him as celebrity photography's next golden boy. "I'm here to take pictures of you, Jack, Rachel, Milton, Kelsi, Jerry, Eddie, and Amanda. Hi, Jack," he shook Jack's hand. "Your mom sent me."

A look of dismay stole over Jack's face, before being replaced by forced cheeriness. "Of course."

"What is it?" asked Kim, taking her place beside Jack as Oliver photographed them. Jack stepped away from the blond as Oliver took a few pictures of Jack by himself, then Kim by herself.

"If my mom sent him, then we're all going to be on the front page of Hollywood Offspring tomorrow," explained Jack, eying the young photographer as he snapped pictures of Jerry and Kelsi. "My mom has this crazy idea that if she pushes people close enough, they'll fall in love. Closet romantic, that's what my mom is. Anyway, she's hoping to change us all into couples." Jack rolled his eyes.

Kim smirked. "So, I'm guessing you and me is one of the couples?"

Jack looked at her, a pointed _duh-what-did-you-think_ look on his face.

She laughed, throwing her hands up in the air and backing away. "I've got to get to Scott, but good luck with your mom."

"Luck is for amateurs," she heard him scoff. She smiled to herself. Same old, same old. Actually-

"Hi, Kim."

"Hey, Scott! Sorry to drag you into all that with KK."

Actually, now there was another player in this game.

"Hey, Elle. Listen, I'm really sorry about that thing with KK."

"No problem, Jack."

Correction, there were _two_ new players in this game.

Without knowing it, Jack and Kim both said the same words to their respective "dates."

"I'll make it up to you," they both promised.

They both got the same response from their "dates."

"Sit with me at the screening."

Correction- no more air-quotes around "dates."

-5-

"Ohmygod, here comes Kandy again," groaned Kim, burying her face into Scott's shoulder.

He chuckled, a deep, resonating sound. For some reason, she kept comparing it to another laugh- this one was sincere, full of actual mirth, and _real_.

"It was a chick flick!" argued Jack, laughing as Elle tried to defend the movie.

Ah, there we go. That's the laugh Kim's been comparing Scott's to.

"'Scuse me, coming though, 'scuse me- ah, Kim!" said Oliver, snapping a few pictures. "I want some pictures of all of you: Jerry, Kelsi, Milton, Rachel, you, Jack, Eddie, Amanda, Thomas, and Cora. So, strike a pose. Let's have the 'prom' pose. There, that's good. Now, the 'we've got swag' pose. Ah! Delightful. Mmhm, now just a normal pose."

And so it went like that, pictures, endless autographs, and shout-outs. So by the time they left, they were all exhausted. Exhausted, but happy.

-5-

"Guys," said Kim slowly, later that night. "We should come up with code names."

"For our missions in the CIA?" asked Kelsi, sounding dubious.

Jack looked delighted. "Yes! And Kim can be Princess."

The girl in question's jaw dropped. "Jack!"

Thomas laughed. "I like it! And Cora here can be Pinky!"

Cora glared at him, punching him in his non-existent gut. "Seriously, would it kill you to eat a muffin now and then?"

"Can we call Jerry Stupid?" asked Kelsi. Turning to Jerry, she added, "I'll give you a kiss."

Jerry was debating. "Well, everyone already calls me stupid, and Kelsi would give me a kiss, so... yes!"

Kelsi smiled and leaned over to plant a big one on Jerry's lips.

Jack laughed at the look on Jerry's face. "Dude, you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah..." Jerry trailed off. "Can we do that again?"

Kelsi smiled coyly. "If you agree to do what I say."

"Uh-huh..." Jerry seemed to be in a trance.

Eddie snapped his fingers, bringing the group's attention back. "So if Jerry's going to be Stupid, then what will I be?"

Everyone looked at each other, then said in unison, "Playah."

"Hey, what about Milton? I think we should call him Miltonius," suggested Rachel unabashedly.

"If I'm Miltonius, then you get to be Fashionista," retorted Milton.

"You do realize that's a compliment?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

Milton fumbled for words. "Well, yeah, I know. I mean, anyways..."

"Kelsi can be The Flirt," joked Amanda, ignoring the glare Kelsi sent her.

"You know, I was going to suggest Angel for you, but let's leave it at Bittersweet," snapped Kelsi.

Amanda looked affronted. "Then you'll be The Flirt?"

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Hmph!"

"Aw, that was cute," said Amanda, hugging Kelsi.

"I know, right?" replied Kelsi, hugging her back.

"Is she PMS-ing?" whispered Thomas, then got whacked on the head by Cora- and her surprisingly heavy clutch. "Ow! What? She's having mood swings!" he protested indignantly.

Cora simply folded her hands and sat primly on the arm of Thomas' chair. Suddenly, a devilish smile spread over her face, and Thomas started scrambling out of the chair.

"I don't like that smile, I don't like it at all," he babbled.

She simply smiled again and said, "If I'm going down with Pinky, then you're going down with me, Spongebob."

"Spongebob?" Thomas' outraged exclamation was lost in the peals of laughter coming from everyone else.

"Nice one, Cora!" Kim slapped her best friend high-five. "Wait a second. That's leaves only..." She turned to Jack, smiling angelically. "That leaves only you, Casablanca."

"Casablanca? Oh, nonononononono!" exclaimed Jack, bolting out of the love seat he was just recently occupying.

Kim raised an eyebrow and pointed to herself. "Princess." She pointed to Cora. "Pinky." She pointed to Thomas and smirked. "Spongebob." She turned to Amanda. "Bittersweet." Eddie. "Playah." Jerry. "Stupid." Kelsi. "The Flirt." Milton. "Miltonius." Finally, she turned to Jack, a sly smile on her face. "Casablanca."

Thomas hooted his approval, then shrugged when Jack glared at him. "What? It's like Cora said, if I'm going down, I'm taking you down with me."

Jack sighed, then collapsed back onto the love seat, into his previous position- lying down with his head in Kim's lap as he rubbed circles into her wrist. The gesture was oddly comforting, and Kim felt herself relaxing. _Gosh, boy_, she thought, _you have no idea what you do to me_.

"Why, Kimmy, why?" Jack groaned. "Casablanca? Of all the stupid code names in the world, you chose Casablanca? Why do you have to torture me this way, Kim?"

Kim slapped his arm lightly. "Stop being dramatic, Jack, you're starting to sound like Cora, Thomas, Fawn and Drew. And that's never a good thing."

"Hey!" Cora and Thomas protested in unison.

Kim threw a careless shrug in their direction. "Sorry, but it's true."

"We are _not_ dramatic!"

"Really?" Rachel's voice was obviously dubious. "Then what's this?" She started to imitate Cora. "Oh. My. God! They don't have it in my size! Why, world, why? What have I ever done to you?"

All around the room, people started to imitate Cora and Thomas, while the two looked on, feeling insulted. Only Jack and Kim stayed silent, content to be in each others company. They stayed like that, her stroking his hair softly (and wondering what kind of conditioner he used... because he had to, how else could his hair be so unbearably soft?), and him tracing patterns on her wrist. This kind of intimacy might seem foreign to people who are not a couple, but Jack and Kim are best friends- true best friends, the kind that can and would put their life in the others hands. That's a very special thing, and very hard to find. Neither of them wanted to ruin it.

But, seriously. Cliché, much?

**A/N: Review? I want to catch up to MySeaSaltIceCream's story, Kim and Jack's Adventures as Wasabi Warriors.**

**P.S. MySeaSaltIceCream, I'll be expecting a review from you for my free advertising! :p**


	6. Of BreakUps and Awkward Situations

Chapter 6: Of Break-Ups and Awkward Situations

**A/N: This is more of a filler chappie. Oh, and I forgot to mention, but the interviews that Kandy did with Jack and Kim? All totally true. They're Q&A's that I pulled from interviews on Youtube. .com/watch?v=WLArlBmw_co&feature=relmfu to watch. The questions that I pulled are near the end of the interview. P.S. Type the "www." and "youtube" before the link, for some reason it's not pasting the right way.  
><strong>

Sunday morning came and went, everyone doing their own things. Eddie and Amanda went on a date; so did Cora and Evan, and, surprisingly, Milton and Rachel. When everyone heard about that, they had to take a moment to think about it, then do a double-take. Seriously, WTF? Even more surprisingly, according to Hollywood Offspring, Fawn and Drew were seen together at the beach. In the picture HO had gotten, he was giving her a piggyback ride, and she was laughing. It's official, the apocalypse is coming.

Not surprisingly, Kelsi and Jerry went on a date- sort of. Kelsi went shopping, while Jerry paid and carried the bags. A few kisses were exchanged for when Jerry wanted to go home.

Thomas and Cora, of course, spent the whole day chasing and being chased- all the way to Cora's date, where Thomas stopped and awkwardly apologized to Evan. Thomas trudged back to the Anderson's glumly, brightening only when he realized Madison what's-her-name was free and he could take her out on a date. They went to the same restaurant as Evan and Cora, apparently to make Cora jealous. You see, Thomas has liked Cora for the longest time- just an innocent crush, nothing more. But over the past couple of months, his feelings for her have grown deeper, and he thought he may have found love. Madison was a very nice girl, and once she saw the look Thomas gave Cora, she knew he was using her to make Cora jealous. Madison didn't take offense to that- on the contrary, she agreed to help him. So that's that.

Jack spent the day with Elle, enjoying her company immensely. Likewise, Kim and Scott went to Disneyland together and had a great time.

By the time Sunday night had rolled around, everyone was happy and content.

Jack and Kim sat on the floor, talking about random things- very random things.

"Nuh-uh, unicorns do not poop rainbows! It's just stupid!" insisted Kim from her position on the ground- tucked between Jack's legs while he leaned on a couch.

"Then why does everyone say it, huh? You don't have an answer for that, do you?" mumbled Jack absently, twirling her hair between his fingers.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Jack... are you even listening to me?"

"Mmhm," he mumbled. "You're totally right."

"Jack!" She wrenched her hair away from his fingers. "What's with you and my hair?"

He looked at her, then finally said, "Don't cut your hair. Ever."

"That's ridiculous; you want me to just keep growing my hair out?" she asked, exasperated.

He shook his head. "No, just don't cut it any shorter than this."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, whatever."

"Hey, did you guys hear about that party the Trignara triplets are having on Friday?" asked Rachel, bringing the two out of their own little world. "I heard the guest list is all teens."

"Cool. That way I won't have to worry about how slutty I look," laughed Kelsi.

"You could never look slutty," said Amanda, sounding disappointed. "It's annoying, 'cause I'd like to see what HO would say, but it's true."

"But I can try." Kelsi winked.

Kim raised an eyebrow. "You think Delaney would let you go out in something slutty?"

Delaney was Kelsi's older brother, and he was no different than your average, overprotective brother. Kelsi only waved Kim's concern away. "He's going to partying at the Gellvani's that night. Besides, as long as I don't look like a prostitute, then he's fine with it."

"Trignara triplets... aren't they the ones who live in that brownstone the next street over?" asked Eddie. Of course, because the rich and famous have their own road. Yeah. This one's called Anderson Avenue.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know them. They're... uh... oh! Tina, Teddy, and Talia."

"Oh, yeah. I always get them confused," said Jerry, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "Actually, Talia slapped me because I thought she was Teddy."

"Oh, they're vicious," agreed Thomas. "No one really likes them, but they throw the most amazing parties."

"Honestly? They kinda scare me," Milton confessed. No one looked surprised.

"Has anyone seen Cora?" Hannah, the maid, burst into the room, worried. "She assured me that she would be back by 11 o' clock, at the latest. It's already half past, and she still hasn't shown up!"

Uh oh. Trouble.

Thomas leaped to his feet, fists clenched. He growled out a single word. "Evan."

* * *

><p>"So why exactly are we going to the park?" asked Milton.<p>

Thomas drove steadily- underage, (only a month!) yes, but he really didn't give a fuck at the moment. "Cora always goes to the hill where you can see sunrise, sunset, and the stars," he explained, gripping the steering wheel tightly. It wasn't because of nerves. No, it was the pent-up fury that was all directed towards Evan. He wanted to beat the guy up, but Cora needed him, and his friends needed an explanation. "Evan and Cora have always had an on-off relationship. Reason being, Evan's the worst kind of playboy. Not like me; I just flirt, that's all. He humps n' dumps. It's cruel, and Cora's always been the one having her heart broken. But every single time, she takes him back, even though she saw him cheating on her. We fought so much over that, the fact that she gave him so many chances, and none of them ever turned out right. She must have seen him cheating on her today. And that's the worst. Today is their one-year anniversary."

By the time he was finished telling his story, the car was filled with murderous attempt.

"Thomas?" asked Kim sweetly.

"Yeah?"

"Is killing a cheating boyfriend illegal?" everyone chorused together.

He chuckled darkly. "I wish it wasn't, guys, I really, really do."

* * *

><p>It was starting to pour by the time Thomas found Cora, arms wrapped around her knees, under <em>their<em> oak tree, staring up at the rain.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting down cross-legged next to her. "How are you holding up?"

She laughed weakly, leaning into him as he pulled her onto his lap. "Pretty well, actually. I guess I'm beyond surprise now."

He stayed silent for a long time, then spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "Are you going to dump him?"

She sighed. "Yeah. I think I will."

He breathed out a quiet, "Finally."

She laughed, a melancholy edge to it. "You know, for a while back there, I thought I'd found my Prince Charming. Then he started to cheat, and the amount of chances I gave him started to sink in, and the magic just... disappeared. I'm so scared, Thomas. Scared that it'll happen again. Scared that it'll happen... with you." Her voice faded off into a whisper, then grew stronger. "I know you like me, Thomas, and I like you, too. But I'm just not willing to make myself that vulnerable again."

He looked at her seriously, something unreadable in his eyes. "Okay," he finally said. "But I'm past liking you, Cora." He saw her face fall, then smiled. "I'm in love. And I'm your best guy friend. You tell me everything. You're always vulnerable around me, but you can always trust me. I'd never give you up. Do you get it? Cora, I'd move mountains for you. I'd write a check, sell my mansion, sell my _soul_, even." He took a deep breath. "But I can wait. After all, I've been doing it for what seems like forever."

Cora was shocked. Finally recovering her speech, she said, in a small voice, "Thanks, Thomas. I promise I'll think about it. But... can we go home?"

Thomas nodded, pulling her up. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>"KIM!" Jack restrained her. She was on the verge of running after Thomas to comfort her best friend. "Kim," Jack repeated, softer now. "They need some time alone, okay?"<p>

She breathed in deeply, and nodded.

"Leave the car here and call someone to pick us up," commanded Rachel.

Kelsi nodded wearily. "Let's go home."

* * *

><p>Home is where the heart is, right? For the gang, at least in their earlier years, home would always be the quaint, ten-acre, modern-style estate that Jack signed over for all of them. At their own homes, the place always seemed too quiet, the world entirely too submissive. At the Place (as Jerry soon christened it- wonder where he got that from), it was always cheerful and friendly. Perhaps it was the fact that they all came to know the employees as frank, honest, hard-working, good people. Maybe it was the spectacular view. Some say it was the personal touches and warm friendliness it exuded (after the gang got their own rooms and decorated them). But in all honesty, it was the fact that some of the most important moments of their life happened there. <strong>(AN: Okay, explanation time! After spending the weekend at the Jack's home, he decided that the "little" estate would be their headquarters. Paperwork was done, money was exchanged, babies were born, blah blah blah. Soon, everyone had an equal share of the "little" estate.)**

On Sunday night, the group of teens waited anxiously for Thomas and Cora to return.

"Thomas, drive faster, drive faster! Screw the speed limit, just drive faster!" Kelsi was pacing in her three-inch high heels, muttering under her breath. Kim was humming quietly under her breath, tapping her fingers against Jack's arm in a steady rhythm. Rachel was feverishly sketching new designs. Amanda was baking brownies for when Cora and Thomas came back- to keep her mind off things, she said.

Milton, forever the voice of reason, tried to soothe the frazzled girls. "Guys, Cora's probably fine. I mean, Thomas is taking care of her! You know she'd disapprove if she knew you were doing this," he reprimanded gently.

Jerry grinned. "She'd probably throw her bag at you or something."

"Or a shoe," added Eddie. "And I saw her wearing those sharp-looking high heel things."

Rachel paused for a second. "You mean stilettos?"

Eddie shrugged. "Don't look at me! I'm a guy, I dunno. Maybe."

"You're also a guy that took lessons at Mrs. King's Dance Academy," Milton cheerfully reminded him, which elicited a groan from Eddie.

"Kim. Kiiiiiiiim. Kim..." Jack tried to soothe the blond, but to no avail. He suddenly had an idea. Gently removing her tapping fingers from his arm, he started to rub circles into her wrist. The results were satisfying- she stopped fidgeting. She simply collapsed against his chest. He chuckled. "Kimmy, calm down. They're probably already-" He was cut off by the slam of a door. Everyone leaped to their feet and ran to the foyer, while Jack finished, "-here."

"Cora!" Kim rushed at her with the ice cream, chick flicks, and tissues that all best friends seem to have on hand.

"Hey, Kim." Cora's reply was unusually soft, and Kim's murderous intent towards Evan grew stronger.

It was only Amanda- sweet, perceptive Amanda- that noticed the one things no one else had. "Cora," she said slowly. "Why is your hood up?"

"It was raining!" exclaimed Kelsi impatiently.

"But Thomas has an umbrella," Amanda pointed out. Her gaze turned hard. "Cora, put the hood down. Now, Cora. Put the hood down."

Cora slowly reached up and slid the hood off, revealing her hair. Well, not quite.

"Cora!" Amanda gasped, and everyone was reminded that Amanda was relatively new to this friendship- just like Jack, Milton, Jerry, and Eddie.

"I don't get it," said Jerry slowly. "Did you dye your hair again?"

Cora laughed loudly, the sound echoing against the ceilings- it seemed to them that it was her only way to release the pent-up emotions inside of her. "No, my hair was always this color. Back when I was a freshman, I heard Evan say pink-haired chicks are hot, so I dyed my hair bright pink. I dumped him today, so my hair's back to normal."

And it was. Cora's hair was a deep, shiny, dark brown. It was beautiful, unlike her hair from before, which had seemed fake, and almost forced. Rachel, always the blunt one, asked if Cora was planning revenge. Kelsi slapped her friend's arm, but Cora only shrugged wearily.

Kim immediately took the assertive. "Guys, it's girl's night, so clear yourself out of the basement. I'm sure Jack has some rooms for you, right?"

Jack nodded, then pulled her aside. Knowingly, he said, "Junk food's in the second cabinet from the right, candy in the cabinet underneath. Ice cream's in the fridge, popcorn machine's in the basement, and Amanda made brownies."

She smiled back up at him. Unexpectedly, she pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks, Jack." Her voice was muffled by his shoulder, but he caught her meaning.

He breathed in her lavender vanilla scent, mumbling out a, "What are friends for?"

She pulled away quickly. As much as she'd love to hug Jack for the rest of the night (he smelled wonderful- aftershave and clean linen), Cora needed her right now, and she wasn't going to bail on her best friend.

"KIM!"

In fact, at the moment, that best friend was yelling for her.

"I gotta go, but see ya later, 'kay?" Kim gave a backwards wave, then disappeared into the elevator. Jack stood there, staring after her.

"Yeah," he said softly. "See you later."

* * *

><p>Well. This was awkward. Kim and the girls were planning to spend Sunday night in their PJ's, eating junk food, ice cream, and candy, throwing popcorn at the TV as chick flicks played on, and in general cheering Cora up. Of course, to do that, they needed their PJ's. Everyone had remembered the long weekend, and brought over enough clothes. Everyone, that is, except for Kim. She had forgotten her PJ's, but remembered her clothes for the next day.<p>

Now, she stood outside Jack's room, unsure whether to knock or just leave. Soon, though, that problem was solved.

"Kim?" He looked surprised to see her standing outside his bedroom door.

"Um, yeah. Sorry about this. Uh, I forgot my pajamas, and the girls don't have any extra, so I was wondering if-"

He caught her meaning immediately. "Oh! Sure, come on in."

She stepped in shyly, surveying the neater-than-average room.

He reappeared seconds later with a t-shirt. "Uh, you have shorts, right?"

She nodded quickly.

"It's probably going to be a little big for you, but it's just for one night," he explained.

She took the clothes and thanked him. Just as she was about to leave, he called out, "There's a bathroom here you can change in!"

Oh. Well. This was going to be even more awkward. Kim knew this, yet she still changed in the- no, _his_ bathroom. Stepping out, she was surprised to see Jack staring at her, an unreadable emotion on his face.

"Hey," she said softly.

He smiled back. "Hey. You look..."

"Ridiculous?" she guessed dryly.

He shook his head, laughing. "Nah, you could never look ridiculous. You look... cute." And she did. C'mon, what guy wouldn't like to see the girl he kinda-sorta-maybe liked wearing _his_ clothes?

She blushed at his comment, and a faint pink could be seen on Jack's cheeks. "Um, I better go..." she said, stepping out to the hallway.

"Yeah, I mean, they're probably waiting for you..." Jack trailed off, looking adorably nervous.

"Yeah. Bye."

"Bye."

"Um, Jack?"

"Yeah?"

She stood up on her toes, kissing the underside of his jaw softly. "Thanks."

He blinked, brown eyes wide. "No... problem, Kim. 'Night."

"'Night."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, there's that! Do you think the jokes and gags in the story are getting worn out? Drop me a review or PM me if you have an idea you might want me to include. IMPORTANT: If you're going to borrow an idea from me, PLEASE ASK FIRST via PM. For instance, LoveYourBabyGiirl asked me if she could use an idea from my story. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE follow her example. And if I say yes, please mention that it's my idea. I don't want to be plagiarized, and I'm sure you don't either, so that's why all the little snippets from some one else's story are labeled. Thanks. -Hayley**


	7. Of Cheese and Old Enemies

Chapter 7: Of Cheese and Old Enemies

**A/N: So yeah, there's going to be a lot of that CIA teenage spy stuff in this one. Also, IMPORTANT! MUST READ! I'm going on a trip to Alaska for a week (starting tomorrow), so during my absence there won't be any updates. I do have an iPhone, but you can't upload/edit stories through FanFiction's mobile site (or the normal one- at least, not on a phone). This last chapter is pretty long, and I hope it'll be enough to tide you over until I return. Also, I'll be posting another chapter to the sequel to this story. It's called The Road to Getting Hitched, and if you want to read it, just go to my profile page and look for it under Stories. Anyway, that's the end of my long Author's Note, so buh-bye until next week! :)**

* * *

><p>The next morning, Cora woke feeling like she had been born anew. That night- in Thomas' arms, and with her best friends- had healed her, renewed her. Now, she was ready for revenge.<p>

"So, looks like Pinky is Pinky no more," commented Eddie lightly, unsure of how far he should go to mention last night's events.

Cora laughed. "Yup. You'll have to fine a new code name for me.

"And I've got a whole list!" Milton walked in, ever the organized one.

Thomas took the list and promptly ripped it apart. "I've got better ones!" he sang.

Milton screamed, dropping to his knees. "NOOOO!"

"Milton?" Rachel quirked an eyebrow at him.

He popped up again, waving cheesily at her. "Oh, hey, Rachel. I just wanted to see how Cora, Thomas, Fawn, and Drew live their lives." He scratched his neck. "Eh, I don't know. I think there's too much 'OMG'-ing going on. I'm going to stick to my life."

"You do that, Milton," said Eddie wisely, stroking an imaginary beard.

Amanda put a hand on his shoulder. "Eddie, hon, you know I love you, but why are you stroking an imaginary beard?"

"I'm trying to be smart like Milton," explained Eddie.

Milton gave him a strange look. "Uh, Eddie? I don't have a beard."

"Well, Aeropostale did!"

"You mean Aristotle?"

"Pft, no."

"Guys, why is there no food in the fridge?" asked Jack, an accusing tone to his voice as he stuck his head into the fridge.

"Jack, what are you doing? If you're hot, just turn up the AC," suggested Kelsi, giving him a weird look as she passed.

"Jack, is Jerry rubbing off on you?" asked Kim sympathetically, patting the brown-haired boy's back.

"No, I don't think so. Why?" Jack closed the fridge and spun around, giving her a weird look.

"Because you're getting dumber," she explained.

Just then, Jerry walked in. "Hey, Jack, I think your mouse is broken. Did you remember to feed it cheese?"

Kim pointed at Jerry, then turned to Jack. "See? C'mon, Jack, you're not stupid. At least... I _think_ you aren't. It's always debatable. Anyways, how can you expect there to be food left? We're in a house where half the population is male. And, we had Andrew and Drew over the other day. Plus, Thomas is here to stay. Football players, remember? They eat twice as much. Actually," she crinkled her nose, "it's kind of gross."

"So, bottom line is, we need to go shopping?" Jack clarified. Kim nodded an affirmative.

"Oh, I'll go!" volunteered Milton. "Rachel, will you come with me? I don't know what the girls want to eat."

"_Eating_? I thought we were going to the mall- like, _actually_ shopping," scoffed Rachel. She breezed by Milton. "Still, I guess I _am_ hungry. Let's go."

They left, leaving the kitchen silent.

"So..." said Jerry finally, breaking the silence. "Where's the cheese?"

_Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pak._

* * *

><p>"Oh my freaking God, why won't this stupid baby shut up!" Cora exclaimed, annoyed to the extreme.<p>

Thomas grinned lopsidedly at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Marcus is behaving."

"Shut up!" Cora snapped. Kelsi and Jerry had handed Kelsi Jr. off to her, and she was about to explode from irritation.

Those stupid slackers.

* * *

><p>"Why are you buying hot chocolate and mini marshmallows?" asked Milton.<p>

"To drink," replied Rachel in a _duh-aren't-you-supposed-to-be-the-genius-here_ tone.

"In the middle of November?"

"Well, Amanda wanted it. And what Amanda wants, Amanda gets."

* * *

><p>"No, Jerry, for the last time, the mouse does not eat cheese!" exclaimed Kelsi, exasperated. "Come help me with the baby, it <em>is<em> half yours."

"I know!" Jerry snapped his fingers, and plugged his iPod into a nearby stereo. Dance music with a steady beat filled the room, and Jerry began to dance. Jerry Jr. laughed, clapping his hands.

"C'mon," Jerry held out a hand to Kelsi. Shyly, she took his hand, setting the baby down. Slowly, he guided her body to the beat, and soon they were both dancing.

* * *

><p>"Well, Thomas is taking care of Marcus, Milton and Rachel are bringing food, and you're baking cinnamon streusel. Life is good." Eddie leaned against a counter, arms behind his head.<p>

"Eddie?" asked Amanda sweetly.

"What is it, Angel?" he replied.

"Angel? Aw, that's sweet. Now come do the dishes."

Well. Now life's not so good.

"Kelsi was right, Bittersweet _is_ the best code name for you," muttered Eddie.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Just what I thought."

* * *

><p>"Wait a second. Let me get this straight. You want to drive us, underage-"<p>

"Only by a month!"

"Whatever. You want to drive us all the way to a lake in the middle of nowhere just because you thought I'd enjoy the view?"

"Well... yeah. Something wrong with that?"

"Oh, Jack. That's really sweet, but-"

"Great! Wait here, I'll get my stuff. Actually, go get yours. See you in a few!" he said forcefully, pushing her out the door.

Kim stood in the middle of the- no, _her_ room. Sh really had to start decorating it...

She and Jack had just been arguing about his crazy idea. He wanted to drive her all the way out to some lake in the middle of nowhere because he thought that she would enjoy the view. It was a really sweet gesture, but she didn't really know what to make of it. Should she go, "Awww!"? Or should she go, "That's crazy!" Or she just...

Go with it?

She chose the last option, packing her bag with sunscreen, a towel, her iPod (which she could plug into her fully charged bag. See, her bag is a stereo tote. It can be used to carry things around, as well as listening to music and charging iPods. It was designed by Rachel, and brought to life by her tech geek brother, Kevin), and a second change of clothes. Underneath her current set of clothes, she had on a black halter-top bikini.

She swung by the kitchen, to pick up the basket of food that Amanda handed her, and then was stopped by Rachel. Rachel gave her a picnic blanket with the words "Casablanca and his Princess" written on it in neon letters.

Kim stared at her always fashionable friend, aghast. "RACHEL!" she exclaimed. "I can't take this! Quick, get another one!"

Rachel laughed. "Nope, that's the only one I've got. Oh, lookie here, that's Jack, and he's waiting for you! Well, I guess that's that. See ya!"

"Rachel?" Kim called after her sweetly.

"Hmm?"

"You're going to be so dead when I get back."

"Oh, um, well..." Kim smirked as she watched her friend fumble for some lame-ass excuse. "I've got this... baking video teaching session thing with Amanda..."

"Hey! Don't drag me into this!"

Rachel simply talked over her. "... And I won't be in touch for a while, because I might be moving to... uh, Barcelona. Anyways..."

* * *

><p>Kim sighed, flipping through stations on the radio in Jack's car- brand new black Mercedes-Benz, and <em>so shiny<em>.

"Kim, just choose a station already!" said Jack, exasperated.

She sighed. "Sorry, but there's nothing good on. My iPod's in the back, my iPhone's somewhere in the middle of the basement, and there is nothing good to listen to."

He looked at her, amused. "What are you, five?"

She glared at him. "15, thanks." (A/N: Yeah, I changed it.)

He chuckled and handed her his iPod. "Here. There has to be _something_ good on it."

She flicked through the songs, surprise written all over her features. "B.o.B.?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I love B.o.B! I can even do the rap! Here, put on Airplanes."

She looked dubious, but complied, and started cracking up as soon as he tried to rap. **(A/N: This little snippet from xo-Fabina4ever-ox)**

"What?" The innocent look on his face was enough to send her into another fit of laughter, resulting in hiccups.

"Ja-hic-ck! Look what you-hic- made me-hic- do!" she exclaimed.

"I'm not _that_ bad, am I?" he asked worriedly.

And she cracked up again.

"Kim!" whined Jack. "C'mon, I wasn't that bad! Kim!" He glared at her and her uncontrollable laughter.

After she had calmed down enough to look Jack in the eye without cracking up (which actually took a lot longer than necessary), she apologized, and made him promise never to rap again.

"So... my rapping is bad?" he asked, still stumped over that one fact.

Kim patted his arm (and his muscles... m-_hm_) sympathetically. "Seriously, Jack, I think Jerry is rubbing off on you. How many times have we been over this? Life Rule Number Four: Never Let Jack Anderson Rap; He's Horrible."

"Thanks, Kim. No need to sugarcoat it or anything. I can handle the pain!" cried Jack dramatically.

Kim gave him a strange look. "You know, you really should have taken Drama with me instead of Photography."

He grimaced. "Yeah, my sis made me. Only one more month, though, and then I'm free to take Ms. Tucker's Drama class. Yay."

"Oh, c'mon, she's not so weird!"

"She's a crazy cat lady!"

"Well... yeah, but other than that, she's not that weird."

"Kim, she has a pet parrot- whose feathers are splatter-painted neon pink!"

"Well... _yeah_, she is weird. Hey, wait a second!" She turned to look at him more directly. "Oh my, God, we have to set them up!"

"Set who up?" Jack, evidently, was a little slow on the uptake.

"Seriously, is today an off day, or have you been spending too much time with Jerry? You know what, never mind," Kim waved the thought away. "What I was going to say, is that we should totally set Rudy and Ms. Tucker up!"

"Hey... that is a good idea!" Jack pumped his fist in the air, then turned to her. "Fist-bump?"

She laughed and complied.

"Oh, dud, this is gonna be interesting, I can promise you that!" exclaimed an ecstatic Jack.

"Oh, no problem, _dude_," snapped Kim, her mood instantly sour.

Jack paused in the middle of his celebratory rap (promises were made to be broken!), and stared at her curiously. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just drive!" she snapped.

"Okay." He held his hands up in the universal signal for _what-did-I-do-I'm-sorry?_

Well, it could also be _I'm-unarmed-and-if-you-shoot-me-you're-a-total-jerk_ **(A/N: Total kudos to Mr. James Patterson for that one- if you haven't read the Maximum Ride series, you totally should :))**, but... even though they were thrust into life threatening situations all the time, now was not one of them.

"Jack! Hands on the wheel!" she snapped, leaning over and steering the car as they wound around the side of a mountain. Maybe we spoke too soon, because that mountain? Well, it's suffice to say they almost fell off- if not for Kim's quick reflexes (trained in martial arts and honed by the CIA) and quite excellent (if she may say so herself) driving.

"Sorry, sorry!" he apologized, wrapping his fingers around hers as they both steered the car up the mountain. "Hey, Kim, you can let go now."

"You sure you're not going to get us killed?" she muttered, letting go of the wheel- just as they rounded a particularly sharp turn, causing her to fall into his lap.

"Well," he murmured. "_Some_one's getting ahead of themselves."

"Shut up!" she snapped, cheeks flushing pink as she sat back up.

He studied her carefully, then cleared his throat and said, "Flustered looks good on you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't get used to it." **(A/N: Okay, I just tweaked a bit of a conversation from Heist Society by Ally Carter. All rights go to her, disclaimer, blah blah blah- just read the story!)**

He chuckled. "Don't worry, Princess. I won't."

Immediately, the mood changed from contemplative to playful as Kim realized what he called her. She groaned, dropping her head down. "Jack! Really? Princess? I'm not a priss, you know that."

"Yeah, I know. But, c'mon, dude, your expression is hilarious!"

Kim decided to overlook the "dude" comment. Being grouped in as "one of the guys" didn't sit too well with her, but she figured- _Hey, why do I care? Jack doesn't matter. Nope, not at all. Nuh-uh. That's right. Jack does not matter._

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

The car pulled to a stop, and Jack took the keys out of the ignition. He stepped out, and hurried to open the door for Kim, bowing cheesily as she took his proffered hand. "My lady, the Princess," he said in a fake British accent.

She raised an eyebrow at him. Oh, he was _so_ asking for it. "My knight, Casablanca."

Instantly, he groaned and flicked her nose. "Of all the horrible code names..."

She grinned, poking at his stomach. "If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" she sang cheerfully. "Hey, eat some carbs, will ya? Y'all have, like, no fat on your stomach."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I've never gotten any complaints in that area before. Normally, it's because my abs are drool-worthy, but..."

She cracked up. "Drool-worthy? Who are you, Fawn?"

He sighed, hand to his heart, as he faked a tear. "I'm spending too much time around our friends, Kim. I'm starting to become Barbie!"

"Hey! Fawn is not a Barbie!" protested Kim, feeling loyalty to her friend on some level (even though she was sure Fawn had something to do with the towel fiasco- the tag said Made in the Hamptons). "She's more like a... Bratz. Yeah, she's a Bratz. Besides, the title of Barbie of the Year goes to our very own stalker, Kandy Klaus."

Jack, at least, agreed to that. "Oh, she scares me. Every single time she comes at me with that damn microphone..."

Kim laughed, swinging the picnic basket along. "So, where is this secret lake you dragged me forty miles across California for?"

He pointed toward the forest. "Through there, about a mile and a half."

Kim's eyes widened. "You know, normally, that would be like a warm-up, but I'm wearing my new Louboutin stilettos. Actually, Cora and Kelsi forced them on me. They wouldn't let me out of the house until I had them on my feet!" She cringed at the memory, then started griping. "They're three inches, Jack! Do you know how painful it is to hike up mountains in three-inch stilettos?"

He gave her a weird look. "No, Kim, I don't, and I hope I never will. Don't you have any other shoes with you?"

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Yes, Jack, because I carry hiking boots in my Armani tote all the time, in case I'm brought to a mountain and need to hike. Actually," she paused. "I _have_ done that before. For a mission in the Philippines. And there was also this one time where I didn't... and was forced to hike in four-inch open-toed stilettos. Anyways! Bottom line, I can't hike that far. Not if I want this to be something fun."

He looked confused. "So, you told me all those stories just to make sure I knew how painful hiking in those sharp high heel thingies can be?"

She rolled her eyes. "Not exactly what I meant, but yeah, that's the general meaning.

He shrugged the problem away. "No problem. I'll carry you."

"For a mile and a half?" she asked dubiously.

He just smirked at her, with an _aw-isn't-she-adorable_ look on his face. "Princess, you're with Jack Anderson. What could go wrong?"

"Famous last words!" Kim sang at him, but she still let him swing her up into his arms- bridal style.

"So says you!" he sang back.

"So says the world in general!" she retorted half-heartedly, hating herself for loving how perfectly their bodies fit together.

* * *

><p>Half an hour, three bruises, five insults, and two scuffed Vans later, they arrived at a clearing. In the center was a glittering lake. Grass surrounded the lake, and soft tufts of wild flowers completed the quaint scene that could have come out of a painting.<p>

Jack set Kim down carefully, making sure no part of her (sharp!) stilettos touched him.

Kim rolled her eyes at his actions. "Oh, c'mon, Jack, they can't hurt _that_ much."

"Kim. They could be used as lethal weapons," he told her seriously.

"Wow, it really is beautiful," she said, their previous argument already forgotten.

"I told you so," replied Jack smugly, taking the picnic basket and blanket from her. He spread the blanket out on the ground. And then, he noticed what was written on it. "Kim...?" he asked hesitantly, pointing to the bright neon letters on the blanket.

She blushed, then quickly explained, "Oh, that's Rachel's fault. She wouldn't give me another blanket. So, uh, yeah, that's the one we're stuck with."

"'Casablanca and his Princess," Jack mumbled to himself. _I kinda like the sound of that_, he thought, then shook his head, clearing it. _Whoa there, Jack! Do not fall for Kim. Nooo, that's bad, very bad. Best friends falling in love? How cliche is that? Remember Elle? Yeah, Elle! She laughs at your jokes, compliments you on your taste in transportation, and she has pretty hair!_ However, a little nagging voice told him, _Yeah, but Kim has prettier hair. And she's honest with you. Sometimes very bluntly, but she's honest!_

"... and I was like, 'No way mister, I will not kiss your llama!' I felt kinda bad afterwards, but the guy had been stalking me for two months! Just so he could get a picture of me kissing his llama! I mean, what kind of- Jack? Jack!" Kim's voice snapped him out of his internal debate- which had quickly turned to throwing childish insults at himself. Dear God, he really needed to get some counseling.

"Oh, sorry Kim. Strawberry?" he offered her a chocolate covered strawberry. "They're really good... he coaxed. "Amanda made them... with white chocolate!"

"Give it." Kim held out her hand, but he only held it up high above his head. "Jack!" she whined, and they were both thrust back to Saturday morning breakfast.

"Kim!" he mimicked. Really, she was just so gosh darned cute when she got angry!

Slowly, Kim looked up at him through her lashes, her lower lip quivering. In a wavering voice, she asked, "Please?"

And he snapped. Just like she knew he would. "Fine." He handed her the strawberry, watching as she ate it slowly. It annoyed him, how she had him wrapped around her little finger. She could ask for the world, and he would go and get it for her.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" asked Kim self-consciously, noticing his eyes on her.

"Actually, yeah..." Jack's voice grew softer as he directed his gaze towards her mouth.

"Oh. Okay. Um, thanks." She reached up to her mouth with a napkin. "Gone?"

"No. Here, let me get it for you..." he trailed off as he leaned closer, inhaling her lavender scent. Their lips were a mere inch apart, when-

"Hello, Kimberly!" a voice called out, ringing through the clearing. Kim and Jack jumped apart as if they had been burned, both looking away from the other.

"Wait a second... I know that voice," whispered Kim. "Wes! Wesley Worthington!"

"Nice to know you remember me, Kimberly." Wesley Worthington walked in, looking smug and deadly. Four thugs (prepaid with his platinum AmEx, thank you very much) stood by his side, a constant menacing presence. "Who's this, huh? Your new boy toy, perhaps?" He was referring to Jack, who, at the moment, still looked confused.

"Kim? What's going on?" he asked. "And, Weston, or whatever your name is, I have a girlfriend!" Oops. The words just slipped out of his mouth. He didn't, actually. But after today, he definitely needed to get one- his male chauvinistic pride wouldn't let him not.

"You do?" Kim looked surprised, disappointment flashing across her face for a second before replying, "Congrats, Jack! How come you didn't tell me?"

"Later. For now, what's going on?" Jack did not like being out of the loop.

"Oh, this is Wesley Worthington. Hilarious name, right? Wes, meet Jack Anderson," introduced Kim as she ducked a kick aimed at her head. "Oh, hey, Thug #1! It's been a while, hasn't it?" She danced around him, hitting his pressure points. And down he goes. "You know, they say the heavier you are, the harder you fall," Kim added, cheerfully dodging yet another blow aimed at her head. "Jeez, Wes, control your people!" she complained, throwing an uppercut into one thug's jaw, then flipped him into the lake. He blacked out, his last thought being, _Hey, little girl's got chops!_

"Control my people? Kim, you broke my heart!" Wes roared suddenly.

"Okay! That is _it_! Will someone _please_ tell me what is going on?" cried Jack, frustrated to the extreme.

Wes turned to him with a snarl on his lips. "Kim was my girlfriend. At least, I thought she was. Turns out, she had been using me to destroy my father's business."

Kim rolled her eyes, ducking as a tranquilizer dart was shot at her. "He was my first mission at the CIA. And, c'mon, Wes, don't pretend to be some innocent bystander! You and your father were selling weapons-grade uranium!"

"Yeah. And now, it looks like you have a new boy toy," sneered Wes. "Careful, she might just break your heart."

"I have a girlfriend!" exclaimed Jack, aiming a sidekick at Thug #3's ribcage, hearing a crack.

Wes only talked over him. "Wow, Kim, you really wanted to forget me, huh? This new guy's the exact opposite of me." It was true. While Wes was all blue eyes and blond hair, Jack was brown hair and brown eyes. Some might say boring- if it were another person. On Jack Anderson, the look only made the fan girls squeal more.

Kim ducked a punch, then flipped herself over Thug #2's head. Using her stilettos (poor babies, they were new!), she kicked him in the place where it hurt most. Thug #2 instantly dropped the ground, groaning. Kim inspected her stilettos, beaming approvingly. "Hey, Jack, you were right! These _are_ lethal weapons! Pity, I'll have to get a new pair."

"Poor you. Shoe shopping is every girl's worst nightmare," retorted Jack sarcastically, dragon-kicking Thug #4 in the head. He immediately dropped the ground, unconscious.

"So, Wes, how's the family business going?" asked Kim conversationally, angering the blond boy further. That was good. Anger, among several other emotions, could warp a person's judgment, and cause them to make mistakes.

Wes came at her, all fists and tranquilizer darts. Kim only rolled her eyes, and twisted his arms behind his back, flipping him into the lake.

She dusted her hands off, surveying the scene in front of her. "Eh. I could have done better."

"You and me both," muttered Jack.

"C'mon. Let's go home."

.

.

.

_47 minutes later..._

"So, who's the new eye candy you're flaunting?" inquired Kim.

"Uh..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cliffie! Sort of. Hey, did you all watch "Ricky Weaver"? So cuuuuute! And they had all the snippets that we all wrote- the babies, the health class, the Jack/Kim little flirty moment, etc. Anyways, see you all sometime next week!**


	8. Of Eye Candy and Ice Cream

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys. I came to a sort of standstill with The Road to Getting Hitched, so I decided to write this. Next chapter is the Trignara party, where something more interesting happens. OMG! Did you guys see Olivia Holt's Twitter and Facebook? They finished shooting season one! And in an interview, Olivia Holt says in the episodes to come, there's going to be more Jack/Kim stuff. And they're going out of the country! Oh, and there are so many cute pics of Leo Howard and Olivia Holt on her Twitter and Facebook. :)**

**PLEASE CHECK THE A/N AT THE END!**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 8: Of Eye Candy and Ice Cream<span>

* * *

><p>"So? Who's the new eye candy?" inquired Kim. They were back in the car, driving home.<p>

"Um…" Jack's mind drew a blank, so he said the first thing that popped into his head. "Elephants!"

"What?"

"I mean, Elle Johnson!" Jack congratulated himself on a nice save.

"Oh, I'm glad!" exclaimed Kim. "If your girlfriend turned out to be some simpering idiot I would so kick your butt."

"Um, thanks… I guess."

"Anytime, best friend. Seriously, though, if someone ever is stupid enough to marry you, please make sure it's someone who can kick your butt and knock you down a few pegs."

"I think those were supposed to be insults."

"Well, I didn't say they _weren't_ insults."

* * *

><p>"We're back! Did you guys miss us- oh. Oh. My. God."<p>

At the last word, Kim latched onto Jack's arm, hiding her face.

"That is not right. That is not right at all."

"I could've lived my entire life without seeing my friends making out with each other," groaned Jack, covering his eyes.

"Seriously, Rach, get a room," complained Kim, running out.

"Yeah, Milton, not everyone needs to see this," agreed Jack, chasing after her. He found her in the kitchen, twirling around and around.

She fell into his arms, dizzy (forgot to spot). "Hiya." She grinned up at him.

"Looks like Milton finally manned up and got together with Rachel," commented Jack, propping the blond girl back up.

"Yeah. I'm not sure how that's going to work out, though," she replied, laughing.

He grinned down at her. "They'll work it out."

Just then, they heard a scream come from the foyer. Cora burst in, looking frantic. "Ohmygod," she said in a rush. "I just saw Milton and Rachel. Making out. Ew!" Jack and Kim nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly.

Meanwhile, Thomas was congratulating Milton on a great catch, when Jerry and Kelsi walked in.

"Isn't it awkward?" asked Cora.

Jerry nodded, a grossed-out look on his face as Kelsi elaborated further. "It's extremely awkward. Especially when you've known then for years."

Eddie walked in, grimacing. "Be glad you weren't here when they confessed."

"There were… sparkles and rainbows. And unicorns," Amanda added.

Thomas came in, a gleeful look on his face. "Milton and Rachel! Seriously, like, WTF? You know, the only thing that would make this more perfect is if Cora and I got together…" he coaxed.

She crossed her arms, grinning. "I just broke up with my cheating boyfriend last night, Thomas." She shrugged, and jumped into his waiting arms. "No one ever said I didn't bounce back fast." Kim laughed, slapping her best friend a high-five as Thomas carried the aforementioned best friend off.

"Well, Eddie and I are off to see Monte Carlo with Jerry and Kelsi," explained Amanda.

"Someone needs to take care of Stupid here," cut in Kelsi, jerking her thumb towards Jerry.

"Y'know, I really think we need to change that," complained Jerry.

"Yeah, Confused Weirdo suits you better," snickered Kim.

"Let's call him… The Ninja," suggested Jack. "Oh, c'mon, don't you see the irony?"

"The Ninja… I like the sound of it," decided Amanda.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm all fast and awesomely amazing like a ninja!" exclaimed Jerry.

Kelsi patted his head (and damn, she had to reach up) pityingly, then said, "Yes, Jerry, that's the reason why we call you The Ninja."

Eddie shook his head, amused. "C'mon, guys, Monte Carlo's not going to watch itself."

"Yeah, let's go. See ya later. And, Kim?" Amanda paused to give the girl a pleading look. "Please do not cook. Jack, don't let her cook. I am begging you here. And Kim, if you ruin my beautiful kitchen, I will murder you. Now, bye-bye, my lovelies!"

Jack stared after her, transfixed. "Do you think she just… comes out with all this weird stuff?"

"I- I don't know," Kim admitted.

"So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?" asked Jack. Kim shrugged. "We could make ice cream. What? Even I couldn't mess that up… I hope." She added the last part quickly.

"Okay, then… but how do you make ice cream?"

She stared at him. "You've never made ice cream before?"

"Erm… no."

"Well, c'mon, I'll show you how! Here, grab a bowl, and look for sweetened condensed milk in the fridge. There should be some there. And I know Amanda keeps whipping cream in the fridge, so grab that, too. I'll get the toppings." Kim was commanding and demanding.

"I feel like a packhorse," complained Jack, nevertheless gathering the ingredients.

"That's because you are a packhorse, hon," said Kim bluntly, smiling sweetly all the while. She rustled around in the kitchen for a bit and came up with two whisks, chocolate bars, sprinkles, fruit extract, food coloring, chocolate syrup, and marshmallows. "Okay, first, you have to pour the whipping cream into the bowl."

"Um, Kim? It's not whipping cream. It looks like… milk," said Jack, perplexed.

Kim rolled her eyes at him and replied, "That's because it is milk, you idiot! You have to whisk the milk around for a long time, until stiff peaks form. So, you whisk, and I'll mix! What do you want in your ice cream?"

Jack thought about it for a minute, then decided, "Chocolate flavoring, crushed candy bars, sprinkles, and green food coloring."

"Okay. Don't stop whisking!" she ordered, taking the lid off of the milk, and pouring even amounts into two bowls. She started to mix his toppings/flavorings in.

"How long do I have to keep doing this?" groaned Jack. "You know how I am with waiting."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep whisking!" Kim started mixing her own toppings/flavorings in. "Okay, the whipping cream looks like whipping cream now. Here, split it evenly into the bowls. Good. Now, fold the whipped cream over. Don't mix it, just take the bottom and fold it over the top. Yeah, like that- hey!" The last part was because Jack had accidentally-on-purpose flicked some leftover whipped cream into her face. She retaliated by flicking some into his hair.

"No! Not the hair!" exclaimed Jack dramatically, clutching his chest in mock-dismay. She laughed, flicking some more at his face. Soon, they were engaged in a whipped cream war.

At the end, they stood, hands sticky and grins on their faces. They had managed to get most of the whipped cream off their face, but there was still a little on Kim's face, and Jack noticed. "Hey, you've got whipped cream right… there." Jack's voice was soft as he leaned forward and brushed whipped cream off her nose. She held still, hyper-aware of his scent (clean linen and aftershave) and his close proximity.

Fortunately (unfortunately?) he cleared his throat and pulled away before anything else could happen. "So, how do we do this?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, you just need to pop it in the fridge until it's frozen-" she began.

Jack cut her off, laughing. "Pop it in the fridge? Would you like to have butter with that?"

She blushed, shoving him into the counter. "Shut up. Now, wait."

"Ugh, again?"

"Yes, again."

"Why?"

"'Cause I said so."

"Why?"

"'Cause I felt like it."

"Wh-"

"I swear to God, Jack, if you say 'why' again I will not hesitate to knock you out."

"Why- oof." The last part was because Kim tackled him to the floor. "Geez, woman, what have you been eating?" he groaned.

Kim was never one for self-consciousness, so she said, menacingly, "What was that?"

"… Nothing."

Smart boy. You don't talk to a woman (girl...?) about her weight. No, not unless you would like to be castrated.

"So, now what?" he asked, shoving Kim off.

"I dunno."

"So, we wait for them to come back?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"..."

"..."

Awkward penguin...

* * *

><p>Tuesday morning flew by, and soon it was lunchtime.<p>

"Hey-oooo!" exclaimed Drew gleefully.

"We're back-iiii!" added Andrew, being unusually chipper.

"And we've got girlfriends!" they exclaimed together.

Kim shot them a weird look. "Don't you always have some girl or the other hanging off your arm?"

"Yeah, but it's different this time," Drew insisted. "This time, I've got Fawn!"

"And I've got Wini!" Andrew, gleeful. That's not right. That's not right at all.

"Really? That's great! I'm so happy for you!" Amanda leaped up and opened her arms, hugging Fawn. Drew, who had been expecting the hug, looked offended.

"It's about time," said Kelsi, smiling nonetheless and getting up to hug Wini.

"Hey, why do girls always hug each other when they're happy?" asked Milton, genuinely curious.

Rachel shrugged. "I don't know, but at least we can hug each other without people asking us if we're gay."

"Hey, have you seen Jack?" asked Jerry.

Kim rolled her eyes and pointed in the direction of a brown-haired boy and girl walking together. "He's there. With his new girlfriend. Aren't they adorable?" Her tone was sharp, bordering on the edge of cold. She wasn't really jealous, she was just... on her period. Yeah, that's it. She is on her period.

Lying was never a strong suit of hers, anyway.

"Hey, guys!" Jack approached them, hand-in-hand with Elle. "This is my new girlfriend, Elle!"

There was a pause, then half-hearted congratulations. Jack looked confused by the lack of enthusiasm, so Jerry pulled him aside.

"Why is everyone being so... unenthusiastic?" asked Jack.

"Dude, don't you see it?" sighed Jerry.

"See what?"

"We all wanted you and Kim to get together," explained Jerry, being unusually perceptive.

"Wha- Me and Kim? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Jack's reply was a bit too fast to be completely truthful.

"Whatever, man. All I know is that you and Elle don't looks as good as you and Kim." With that, Jerry left Jack, still looking slightly confused.

* * *

><p>Kim was having a great day. That is, until she saw Jack and Elle in Falafel Phil's restaurant. It had been three days since Jack and Elle had gotten together, and Kim was <em>not<em> a happy camper. Of course, the whole reason for that was because she was on her period. Right? Right. Of course.

"Oh, hey, Kim!" Jack called her over to her table. Internally, Kim groaned. Stupid Anderson and his stupid friendliness. The whole thing is just... stupid.

"Hi, Jack. And Elle," Kim added, a half-smile on her face.

"Here, why don't you two talk? I'm going to the bathroom." Jack got up and left.

"Hey." Kim slid into the seat.

"Hi!" Elle's reply was instant, and Kim felt bad for being jealous of this girl- I mean, on her period.

"So, how are you holding up under the strain of being Jack's girlfriend?" joked Kim.

Elle laughed. "So far, so good. Oh, our food's arrived." She smiled at Falafel Phil, who smiled back at her in an _oh-my-goodness-you're-so-adorable-I-want-you-to-take-a-picture-with-my-goat_ way.

"Oh, wait, you don't want to have that," Kim intervened quickly. "Jack's allergic to blue cheese."

"Oh. I didn't know that." Elle looked crestfallen, and Kim immediately felt bad. The stupid girl was too nice. And her stupid brain couldn't come up with any stupid adjectives other than stupid. Oh, dear. She really needs to get some food.

"Well, I've gotta go. Maybe I'll see you around." Kim got up and left, feeling oddly reminiscent of the first time Jack and her met.

A couple seconds later, Jack appeared.

"Hey. Where did Kim go?" he asked.

Elle shrugged. "She said she had to go."

Jack glanced over at the plate Falafel Phil was holding. "Oh, I can't eat that-"

"I know. I told him to put it away. You're allergic to blue cheese, right?" Elle smiled charmingly at him. Well, if there was credit to take, why not take it? She wasn't a mean girl. On the contrary, she was a very nice girl. But if you were trying to impress the boy you liked, wouldn't you do the same?

"Yeah. Wow, thanks!" She was rewarded with a bright smile from Jack.

"No problem."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know this is kinda short compared to my usual, but I've been doing a lot of work on FictionPress, and my brain hasn't really been on Planet Kickin' It for a while.**

**Anyways, IMPORTANT UPDATE! Like GoldenSnitchSeeker7 said herself, we are doing a collab together! Our first one is going to be for Kickin' It. We made a joint account, it's: Collab of Two Great Minds. Go check it out, favorite, subscribe, alert, all that good stuff.**

_**50 reviews would make my day.**_


	9. Chapter 9: Of Parties and Almost Kisses

Chapter 9: Of Parties and Almost-Kisses

* * *

><p>By the Friday of the Trignara party, Elle and Jack had been dating for over three weeks. And honestly? It was going pretty well. Jack (and Kim) never missed a chance to tell that to their friends.<p>

"Really, I don't know why you were all so unenthusiastic about it," said Jack at lunch.

"Yeah, Jack and Elle are the perfect couple!" insisted Kim.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a little too enthusiastic about this, Kim?"

Kim gave everyone at the table a wow-this-is-ridiculous-why-are-you-asking-me-stupid-questions look. "Me? Psh, no. Jack, am I too enthusiastic?"

Jack shook his head obediently. "Nope. In fact, I think you're making up for everyone else's lack of enthusiasm."

"That's right." The two high-fived each other.

Wini smirked. "Do any of you see the irony of this situation? You're both saying that Jack and Elle are a great couple, but Kim isn't even part of the relationship."

"Kim? What have you got to say for yourself?" prodded Milton.

Kim glared at him. "Nothing. Is it wrong for me to be happy for my best friend?" She put on her most innocent face.

"Well, no, but you're kinda going above and beyond," admitted Kelsi.

"Like he said, I'm just making up for you guys," countered Kim.

"True, very true," said Eddie.

Amanda poked her boyfriend in the chest. "Eddie! Are you on our side of theirs?"

Said boy blinked. "Oh. So that's what we're talking about."

Drew shrugged. "Well, we are being very lackluster."

Fawn groaned, sending her boyfriend a derisive look. "You're not very good at this, are you?"

The only response she got was a, "Good at what?" and a "What does lackluster mean?" from Jerry.

Cora rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior and poked her boyfriend to see if he was awake.

"What?" grumbled Thomas.

"What's your opinion?" asked Kim.

Thomas sighed. "I dunno. All I know is that you better make up your mind about your and Jack's 'relationship status'. Either you're best friends, or dating."

The whole table was quiet after that, dumbfounded by Thomas' rather profound (well, not really) speech.

Then Jerry said, "Have you guys ever wondered why teachers give D's and F's but no E's?"

Which, of course, cued the rumble of discussion (not to mention it totally ruined the mood) that came soon after.

"Jerry, who even cares?" Was the most prominent answer.

* * *

><p>"Hey, girl. Are we still set to go for tonight?" asked Cora.<p>

Kim nodded. "Five o'clock, right? The guys are picking us up at seven."

Cora nodded. "Yup. Speaking of boys, did you find a date yet?"

Kim made a face. "I got a bunch of offers, but I turned them all down. I guess I'll just dance with the guys."

"Mm. Maybe not." And with that mysterious declaration, Cora left.

"Huh- oh…" Understanding dawned on the blond as she saw Scott Williams approaching.

He grinned charmingly at her. "Hi, Kim. "

"Hey, Scott," she replied.

"So, the Trignara party is tonight, and I'm wondering if you'd like to go with me?" He offered her a rose nervously.

It took all of Kim's self-control not to jump up and down and squeal. Instead, she took the rose and replied, "I'd really like that."

"Cool. Pick you up at seven?"

"Sounds perfect."

"See you then."

As soon as he walked away, Kim broke out into a big smile, jumping in the air once, ignoring the weird looks she got. They can stare. Whatevah. _They_ don't have a date with _Scott Williams_.

* * *

><p>"… and then he gave me a rose! How cute is that?" squealed Kim.<p>

"Gosh, girl, that is adorable," sighed Cora.

"Yeah. Drew needs to take notes from Scott. Y'know how he asked me out to the party? Over text message!" fumed Fawn.

Amanda patted her back consolingly. "Well, Drew was never good at romantic… or perceptive."

"At least he actually asked," snorted Wini. "I asked Andrew about it and he goes, 'I thought it was obvious we were going together.' Well, yeah, but it doesn't hurt to ask!"

"Jerry forgot the party was today. I ended up reminding him," sighed Kelsi.

"He doesn't have the best memory," replied Cora drily.

"Y'know how Milton asked me? Through some complicated science-y equation! And then that really smart girl, Paula? Yeah, she figured it out for me and was all like, 'Geez, Rachel, how could you not know this formula?' I am never giving that girl fashion advice again!" Rachel finished her long rant with a huff.

"I've seen that girl around school, and if her reputation is anything to go by, you don't have a thing to worry about," assured Wini.

"Anyways, enough about me. Kim, we need to prettify you. Once again, you are showing up Ella, and impressing both Jack and Scott," declared Rachel, brandishing her curling iron.

"Why do I feel like that was the story of my life?" moaned Kim.

"Oh, it totally is!" replied Cora, whipping out a tube of mascara.

"Now let's get to work!" exclaimed Kelsi, posing with an eyeshadow palette.

Kim only had one thing left to say. "... Where did you guys get all that stuff? I'm pretty sure I left all of that was in the bathroom..."

* * *

><p>The bell rang and Kim opened it, revealing a grinning Scott holding another rose out for her.<p>

"Wow, thanks!" Kim accepted the rose with stars in her eyes.

"You look good," complimented Scott.

"Thanks. You, too," replied Kim, taking his proffered hand.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Kimmah!" Trina air-kissed each of Kim's cheeks.<p>

"Uh, hi, Trina," replied Kim politely, trying to ease by the overenthusiastic Trignara triplet.

"Ooh, and friends!" Tori waved to Scott flirtatiously.

"Hi, Tori." Scott smiled good-naturedly back at her. "Where's the other one?"

Trina rolled her eyes. "Theresa's inside, reading a book. That sister of ours could not get any more boring! Hey, why are you guys still standing out there? Come on in!"

"Wow, they really went all-out," commented Kim.

"Yeah, they always throw their biggest party around Thanksgiving," replied Scott. His eyes were darting around, as if looking for someone. "Hey, uh, I'm just going to go get us something to drink, be right back, 'kay?" He gave her a distracted smile, then left.

_Huh. That was weird._

Shrugging, Kim let it go and turned around to go find her friends— only to bump into Rachel, looking pissed.

"Smart people are stupid!" exclaimed Rachel, before storming away.

_Okay... _That_ was weird._

Then she spotted Jerry and Kelsi together and waved them over.

"Hey, Kim! Where's your date? If you don't have one you can dance with Jerry!" exclaimed Kelsi, looking feverishly excited.

"She had Red Bull," explained Jerry. "And, no offense, Kim, but I wouldn't dance with you since you're no good at dancing."

Kim looked offended at first, but the look faded into a mellow, I-grudgingly-agree-with-you face.

"Anyways, there goes Kelsi. Excuse me while I chase after her." And with that, Jerry ran after Kelsi.

Kim raised her eyebrows. Well there's a bit of role reversal...

As a slow song came on, all the couples crowded onto the dance floor, and Kim was left standing alone by the refreshment table. She sighed, twisting the material of her dress back and forth.

She saw Jack and Ella slow dancing on the dance floor and her fists clenched, bunching up the material of her dress.

She told herself that it was because she was cold, so her fists clenched to, uh, find extra warmth.

Kim is a shit liar.

* * *

><p>"Oh, there's Evan. Yay," mumbled Cora drily. "And he's coming towards me." They had already been at the party for an hour, and while Thomas went off to get drinks, Evan decided to approach them.<p>

"Hey, Cora," he said, smiling and talking in his "husky" voice.

"Hi, Evan. Look, I think it's a really bad idea to be talking to me right now-," began Cora, but Evan cut her off.

"C'mon babe, we broke up like a month ago. I think I've given you enough time to cool off. Let's get back together now. C'mon, kiss me," coaxed Evan.

Kim was trying to decide whether to kick him where it hurts or knock him out.

Cora had a different approach in mind. "Evan, please get caught up. Thomas and I have been dating since I dumped you."

Evan's face contorted into an ugly scowl. "You bitch! You started dating someone else as soon as we broke up? What a slut," he said, contempt clear in his voice.

Kim was this close, this close, to gathering all the girls and setting them on him. Instead, she chose to scream. At Evan. Loudly. "SLUT? Fuck you Evan! You cheated on her so many times, I've lost track! Don't talk to her about being a slut, you manwhore! She took you back every time, because she's way too good to you. In fact, she is way too good for you."

Cora looked surprised at her best friend's sudden outburst and uncharacteristically excessive swearing. "Kim!" she chastised. "Let me handle this."

So she walked up to Evan, giving him her best come-hither look, and leaned in like she was about to kiss him.

3, 2, 1—

And promptly bitch-slapped him.

Then, she kicked him where it hurts and poured his drink over his bleached blonde hair and white t-shirt.

With a pained squeal, Evan crumpled to the ground.

Cora dusted her hands off, looking quite satisfied with herself. "I guess those karate classes really did come in handy."

Kim was still shocked, but happily so. "Yeah, I guess they really did."

* * *

><p>After mingling for a while, Kim found herself wondering where Scott was. It didn't take an hour and a half to get drinks, did it?<p>

As her eyes probed around the giant mansion, they landed on Theresa Trignara, the oldest triplet.

Kim didn't know Theresa very well, and what time was better than the present to introduce herself? Besides, although it was unlikely, perhaps Theresa had seen Scott somewhere.

"Hi, Theresa. Great party," Kim enthused, injecting as much sincerity into her voice as she could.

Theresa looked up from her book and shrugged dismissively. "I wouldn't know. Tori and Trina planned it. If you ask me, there are way too many couples having sex on the floor and way too little friends dancing."

"Oh, yeah. Actually, that's just what I was thinking," admitted Kim.

Theresa raised her eyebrows. "So where's Scott?"

Kim sighed, frustrated. "Actually, that's what I came to you for. I was wondering if you'd seen Scott anywhere. I haven't seen him the whole time I've been here."

Theresa looked hesitant at first, then she put down her book and appraised Kim. "Scott is," she began. "Well, what can I say? Scott was amazing, and wonderful, and sweet, and adorable, not to mention hot."

"You sound like you know him very well. And why past tense?" asked Kim.

"Yeah, I do know him very well." Theresa's face darkened. "That's because I dated him back in sophomore year. We only dated for a couple months, but it seemed like forever. It was great. Then, out of the blue, he dumped me. I found out later that he had been using me."

"He wouldn't! Scott would never do that!" protested Kim.

Theresa smiled grimly. "But he did. You know I'm smart, right? All AP classes. Last year, around November, his grades started dropping. Fast. So he came to me for help, and at the second study session we had, he asked me out. From then on, I pretty much did whatever he asked— doing his homework, making excuses, and trusting every word that came out of his mouth. It was pretty amazing for a girl like me to be going out with a guy like Scott. You know me, I'm not like my sisters. I don't party like crazy, I don't dress like a slut, and I don't have three different boyfriends at once. So for Scott to be actually paying me all those compliments, well, I pretty much just melted. But as soon as his grades were back at his B+ average, he dumped me."

Kim sat still for a while, then said quietly, "I don't believe that Scott would ever do anything like that to me."

Theresa shrugged. "Believe what you want. I'm just warning you for your own safety."

Kim nodded. "Thanks, I guess."

Theresa nodded back. "I'm telling you, Scott Williams is bad news." And with that parting shot, Theresa got up, took her book, and left, leaving Kim to ponder on what she had just heard.

* * *

><p>"Hey, have any of you guys seen Scott?" asked Kim. Two hours into the party, and Scott was still nowhere to be seen. Kim was getting impatient.<p>

"Nope, sorry," replied Fawn, before going back to making out with Drew.

Kim slowly edged herself away from the couple that was displaying way too much PDA. Making out in public is just not cool, people. You are making others (mostly single people) jealous! It's just not cool.

"Hey, have any of you seen Scott?" She asked again.

This time, Eddie shook his head, before going back to the dance floor.

"Hey, have any of you seen Scott?"

"Nope, sorry."

And so it went. Kim asked all her friends, and some of Scott's friends, too. However, when she asked Scott's friends, they all denied seeing him with a snicker behind their hand and a smirk on their lips.

By now, Kim was mad. She knew that Scott was a year older than her, but that didn't mean she was some doormat that he could just step all over and then leave hanging! Maybe Theresa was right... No! Scott was a good person, and he wouldn't just use her like that. Besides, she was pretty sure his grades were good, and why would he need her help anyways? She was a year younger than him, and while she was smart, she probably wouldn't be of any help. In the end, Kim decided that maybe it had happened to Theresa, but Scott would never do anything like that to hurt her.

Kim turned to the dance floor, sighing at the slow music and the couples that swayed to it. She saw Fawn and Drew (finally finished with the PDA), Eddie and Amanda (the sweetest couple you'll ever meet), Thomas and Cora (happily ever after came after all for them), Rachel and Milton (the most clichèd couple of all), Andrew and Wini, (the dark and mysterious couple), and Kelsi and Jerry (perhaps the... quirkiest couple of the bunch).

But no Scott.

Kim gave another frustrated sigh and went off to get a drink.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jack and Elle were getting along perfectly, albeit a little slowly.<p>

**Jack's POV**

She's a nice girl. But also kind of... boring. And slightly bland.

Maybe it's because with Kim, I'm always sure to have some kind of commotion.

Wait a sec- Kim? Where did that come from? Kim's not even here tonight... I think.

"Jack? Jack?" Elle called me back to the present.

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry. What was that?"

"I was asking you if you'd like to go to Pinkberry with me next Saturday," she said.

I hesitated, noticing the hopeful look on her face. "Um... sure." I really just didn't have the heart to refuse. Elle honestly is a nice girl, but she isn't... well, to put it bluntly, she just isn't exciting enough. Enjoyable, sure. Passionate? Not so much.

"Thanks! I'm going to go get a drink. Be right back." And that was another thing. That look she gave me. Like she wanted me to say something. Maybe do something chivalrous. I'm a gentleman... to some extent. But I've always thought that girls could fend for themselves, and they weren't simpering idiots. Kim supports this idea fully, and never misses a chance to drill it into me. Oh, Kim... she probably would've have punched me or something for zoning out. With Kim... you'll never be without entertainment.

Why is Kim popping up so much in my thoughts, again?

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I really need to get a handle on my emotions. If Kim is going to distract me this much (last week I missed a move in a combination and ended up falling flat on my butt because I was thinking about Kim. I can still remember the amused look she gave me as she helped me up.), then it's probably unhealthy.

Oh! I've got it! I bet I have OCD, and that's why I'm thinking about Kim so much!

... No? No? That's okay, whatever. No OCD then.

The DJ's voice came on as some thumping techno song ended. "Ladies and gentleman, here's tonight's last dance, the King and Queen's waltz. Find someone who you haven't danced with all night, and ask them for this one last dance."

Oh. Who should I ask...?

**Normal POV**

Kim sighed as she heard the DJ announce the last dance. She had been able to dance with all her friends last night, except for Jack (who had apparently disappeared) and Scott (who she was still mad at).

Now, who should she ask...?

**Jack's POV**

I spotted Kim just as the DJ finished his shout-outs to god-knows-who.

So I did the logical thing. I asked her to dance.

Yeah. Kim. The one whose existence is questionable to my health. I mean, seriously, this obsession is probably unhealthy.

Kim. The one who I should be avoiding.

But also the one who just blushed and agreed to dance with me.

It's unhealthy, I'm telling you.

**Normal POV**

The song started as Kim and Jack got onto the dance floor, his hands on her waist and her hands around his neck.

_Would you dance _

_If I asked you dance _

_Would you run _

_And never look back _

_Would you cry _

_If you saw me crying _

_And would you save my soul _

_Tonight_

**(1)**

They were grinning shyly at each other, sometimes meeting each others eyes, then glancing away quickly. Kim wasn't worrying about anything, really, and neither was Jack. When they were together, this close, this intimate, there was no room for any other thoughts but of each other.

_Would you tremble _

_If I touched your lips _

_Would you laugh _

_Oh please tell me this _

_Now would you die _

_For the one you love _

_Hold me in your arms _

_Tonight_

Now they were noticing things— all the little minute details. Kim noticed the little wrinkle in the collar of Jack's plaid shirt (over a plain t-shirt), and that little mole near his eye. Jack noticed the way her eyes were sparkling as they moved side-to-side.

_I can be your hero, baby _

_I can kiss away the pain _

_I will stand by you forever _

_You can take my breath away_

And there it was— that magical turning point. His grip on her relaxed, to rest easy on her waist. Her posture relaxed from rigid and alert to comfortable and content.

_Would you swear _

_That you'll always be mine _

_Or would you lie _

_Would you run and hide_

And then the strangest thing happened. The world faded, like there was nobody except for them. They didn't notice Fawn and Drew making out in the corner (ewh), Eddie and Amanda completely disregarding the guidelines and dancing with each other, Rachel pulling Paula away from Milton, Cora and Thomas disappearing behind two double doors leading to the balcony for some alone time, Wini and Andrew talking to the DJ, or Kelsi and Jerry dancing together (again, disregarding the guidelines).

_Am I in too deep?_

_Have I lost my mind?_

_I don't care _

_You're here _

_Tonight_

Kim blushed as Jack started singing along, and she joined in softly at the chorus.

_I can be your hero, baby _

_I can kiss away the pain _

_I will stand by you forever _

_You can take my breath away_

Jack drew her closer, so that their foreheads were about three inches apart.

_Oh I just want to hold you _

_I just want to hold you _

_Oh yeah_

And then she took the initiative and brought them together even closer, their foreheads touching.

_Am I in too deep?_

_Have I lost my mind?_

_I don't care _

_You're here_

_Tonight_

Her eyes fluttered closed, while she rested her head on his shoulder. He smiled, dimples showing as he swayed back and forth with Kim (no-good-for-my-health-after-just-this-one-dance-I'm-spending-some-time-away-from-her) Crawford.

_I can be your hero, baby _

_I can kiss away the pain (Oh yeah)_

_I will stand by you forever _

_You can take my breath away_

He sang to her softly, into her ear and she giggled, bringing her head back up. They were _sososo_ close now and the moment was _so fucking perfect_.

_I can be your hero _

_I can kiss away the pain _

_I will stand by you forever _

_You can take my breath away_

Like in a trance, Jack leaned forward to kiss her. Kim's eyes were closed, and she was leaning in, when—

_You can take my breath away_

_I can be your hero_

"Um, excuse me? Jack, we have to go, remember?" prodded Ella, not unkindly.

"Oh, um, yeah. Uh, bye, Kim." Jack let go of her waist and stumbled back awkwardly. "Let's go, Ella."

"It was nice seeing you, Kim!" Ella called over her shoulder.

Kim smiled awkwardly, waving back. "Don't do anything inappropro, guys!" she called, then mentally scolded herself. "Don't do anything inappropro, guys"? How lame can you get?

With a groan, Kim started searching for Scott. After all, he was her ride.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later left Kim Scott-less— and ride-less. She didn't want to wake up her driver, so she gathered her stuff and started the long walk home.<p>

* * *

><p>By the time Kim got home, it was well past two in the morning, and with an exhausted sigh, she flopped down onto her (beautifully comfy, king-sized) bed.<p>

She sighed once more as she reflected on the night's events. Overall, it was definitely not a party she wanted to remember— except for that magical part where she and Jack danced. And that almost-kiss that they almost-shared. Kim didn't know why, exactly, she had leaned in for the kiss, but she did know that she couldn't stay mad at Ella for ruining their kiss. Because, honestly? Ella had never been anything but nice, and that was the problem— if Jack ever dumped her, everyone would feel bad about it.

That didn't mean Kim had to like her.

Anyways, the leaning-in-for-the-kiss, the jealousy, and the frequent glances in Jack's direction all pointed to one thing, and Kim was _done _and_ done_ with lying to herself.

Kimberly Ann Crawford head-over-heels, and that night, she hit rock bottom.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: How was that, guys? I'm so sorry about the late update, but there's just been a ton of stuff going on in my life, that I can barely find time to write. Plus, I'm really busy with FictionPress (with every new story I start, I try to have at least three chapters finished before publishing the first one)- if anyone's interested, I have the same username on there, and in addition to all of my activities, we've added tennis and soccer into the mix. Anyways, I went through a really strange summer romance at camp, and that was just... I don't really know. It was just weird. I'm also enjoying my own real life romance now, so, yeah... Onto the Author's Notes! (1) The song is Hero, by Enrique Iglesias. It's a really good song, go check it out.**

**Back to me. Like I said, there's been so much going on in my life, so I haven't had that much time to write (or take a breath in between, but, you know, it's not like breathing is important or anything...). I also revised this chapter 4 or 5 times, digitally ripping up drafts and erasing whole sections. I know I've been AWOL (I finally found out what that means- I had to Urban Dictionary it, but whatever- it means Absent Without Official Leave) for a while, and I still don't have any chapters lined up after this, but I'd like to say that I'm back with a vengeance.**

**Leave a review or PM me; criticism and feedback are always appreciated.**

**Au revoir, ma cherie!**

**Lindsay (Yeah, that's right, I changed the name that I like from Hayley to Lindsay- notice the "ay" endings :)**


End file.
